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

Nitschke, 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 Nitschke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nitschke in America

Nitschke is the 20512th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nitschke surname appeared 1,293 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 Nitschke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nitschke 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 Nitschke

The surname Nitschke originates from Germany and dates back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the German word "nitschen," which means "to nod" or "to doze." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname for someone who had a habit of nodding off or falling asleep frequently.

The earliest known record of the surname Nitschke appears in a document from the 14th century in the region of Saxony, Germany. This document mentions a person named Hans Nitschke, who was a landowner in a small village near Leipzig.

In the 15th century, the name Nitschke was found in various records from the town of Zwickau, in the state of Saxony. One notable individual was Johann Nitschke, a merchant who was involved in the local textile trade.

During the 16th century, the name Nitschke gained prominence in the city of Dresden, where several families with this surname were recorded. One of the most notable figures was Christian Nitschke (1505-1572), a Lutheran theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious matters.

In the 17th century, the name Nitschke appeared in records from the town of Freiberg, in the Ore Mountains region of Saxony. A prominent individual from this time was Georg Nitschke (1623-1697), a renowned silversmith and goldsmith whose works were highly sought after by the nobility.

Another notable figure from the 18th century was Friedrich Nitschke (1734-1811), a German botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plant life in Central Europe. He was born in the town of Gera and spent much of his life documenting and classifying various plant species.

Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the surname Nitschke continued to be prevalent in various regions of Germany, particularly in the states of Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg. Several individuals with this name achieved recognition in fields such as education, literature, and the arts.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nitschke

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

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 Nitschke 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 Nitschke 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 Nitschke was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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