Find out how popular the last name Niswander is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Niswander.

Niswander, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Niswander surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Niswander in America

Niswander is the 33567th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Niswander surname appeared 679 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Niswander.

We can also compare 2010 data for Niswander to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Niswander

The surname Niswander is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the German words "niss," meaning a small valley or ravine, and "wander," meaning to wander or roam. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who lived or worked in or near a small valley.

One of the earliest known records of the Niswander name appears in the town of Darmstadt, located in the German state of Hesse, in the year 1583. The name was recorded as "Nisswander" in a local registry of births and marriages. This spelling variation highlights the fact that surnames were often subject to regional variations in pronunciation and spelling during that time period.

By the 17th century, the Niswander name had spread to other regions of Germany, including the states of Bavaria and Saxony. In the small village of Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, located in the Palatinate region of modern-day Rhineland-Palatinate, a man named Johann Niswander is recorded as having been born in 1621.

As the Niswander family continued to grow and expand throughout the centuries, some members eventually emigrated to other parts of Europe and beyond. One notable figure was Heinrich Niswander, a skilled woodcarver born in the Bavarian town of Bamberg in 1748. His intricate carvings can still be found adorning churches and homes in the region.

In the early 19th century, the Niswander name made its way across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States. One of the earliest recorded arrivals was Maria Niswander, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1808 from the German state of Baden-Württemberg. Another early American Niswander was Jacob Niswander, a farmer born in 1825 in the state of Ohio to parents who had emigrated from Germany.

Other notable individuals with the Niswander surname include:

1. Franz Niswander (1808-1881), a German composer and musician who wrote several operas and orchestral works.
2. Erika Niswander (1903-1988), a German-born artist known for her vibrant paintings depicting landscapes and scenes of daily life.
3. Wilhelm Niswander (1856-1923), a German-American engineer and inventor who held several patents for machinery used in the textile industry.
4. Anna Niswander (1878-1964), an American educator and women's rights advocate who campaigned for equal educational opportunities for girls in the early 20th century.
5. Siegfried Niswander (1922-2002), a German-born writer and poet whose works explored themes of identity, displacement, and the aftermath of World War II.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Niswander

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Niswander.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Niswander was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Niswander has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Niswander was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Niswander, please contact us.

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