2000
#113,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 143
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Nitkin
A surname of Russian or Eastern European origin possibly derived from a diminutive form of a personal name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Nitkin. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nitkin surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Nitkin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nitkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.2%) and Hispanic (7.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nitkin
The surname Nitkin is believed to have originated in Eastern Europe, specifically in the regions that are now parts of Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine. It likely emerged in the late 15th or early 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Slavic root word "nitka," which means "thread" or "yarn." This suggests that the original bearers of the surname may have been involved in the textile industry or related trades.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Nitkin name can be found in the Polish town of Bialystok, where a merchant named Jakub Nitkin was mentioned in local records from the early 1600s. Another early reference comes from the town of Pinsk, located in what is now Belarus, where a man named Yosef Nitkin was listed as a resident in the 1670s.
In the 18th century, the name appears in various Russian Empire records, indicating that families bearing the Nitkin surname had migrated eastward. For example, a military officer named Nikolai Nitkin served in the Russian Imperial Army during the reign of Catherine the Great in the late 1700s.
One notable person with the Nitkin surname was Yakov Nitkin (1780-1854), a Russian merchant and philanthropist from the city of Nizhny Novgorod. He was known for his significant contributions to the local community, including the construction of schools and hospitals.
Another individual of note was Mikhail Nitkin (1825-1895), a Russian writer and journalist who was a prominent figure in the literary circles of St. Petersburg during the 19th century. He wrote several novels and short stories that explored the social issues of his time.
In the early 20th century, a man named Aleksandr Nitkin (1890-1972) gained recognition as a renowned Russian artist and sculptor. His works were exhibited in various galleries across Europe and are now held in several prestigious museums.
It is worth noting that variations in the spelling of the Nitkin surname can be found in historical records, such as Nitkin, Nytkin, and Nitzkin. These variations may be attributed to differences in local dialects or transcription errors over time.
Overall, the surname Nitkin has a rich history that spans several centuries and regions of Eastern Europe. While its origins may be rooted in the textile industry, the name has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including merchants, writers, artists, and military personnel.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nitkin
Among Census respondents with the surname Nitkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.2%) and Hispanic (7.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Nitkin bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Nitkin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.9% · 85
- Two or more races12.2% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.2% · 6
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nitkin
Nitkin appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
-9 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 13,975 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-19 bearers (-14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,263 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #113,519 | 143 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | -9 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 13,975 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-14.2%) | Down 18,263 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Nitkin surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #127,494 | #145,757 | -14.3% |
| Count | 134 | 115 | -14.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nitkin bearers went from 134 to 115 (-14.2% change). The surname moved down 18,263 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #145,757.
FAQ
Nitkin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nitkin?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Nitkin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Nitkin?
Nitkin ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Nitkin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Nitkin.
Has Nitkin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nitkin went from 134 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 19 (-14.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Nitkin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nitkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.2%) and Hispanic (7.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Nitkin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.9% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nitkin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.9%), Two or More Races (12.2%), Hispanic (7.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Nitkin (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Nitkin mean?
A surname of Russian or Eastern European origin possibly derived from a diminutive form of a personal name. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Nitkin (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Nitkin?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Nitkin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.