2000
#19,537
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,278
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.47
Rare Last name
Nitschke
Of German origin, a topographic surname referring to someone living near a ravine or gully.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,376 Americans carry the last name Nitschke. That puts it at #22,066 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 249,095 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nitschke 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
1.4K
1 in 249,095
Census rank
#22,066
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,200 bearers of the surname Nitschke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 22066th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nitschke, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nitschke
Among Census respondents with the surname Nitschke, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Nitschke 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 Nitschke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 1,136
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 28
- Two or more races1.5% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 5
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nitschke
Nitschke 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
#20,512
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,293
+15 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Down 975 places
2020
#22,066
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,200
-93 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.40
Rank movement Down 1,554 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,537 | 1,278 | 0.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,512 | 1,293 | 0.44 | +15 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 975 places |
| 2020 | #22,066 | 1,200 | 0.40 | -93 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 1,554 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 Nitschke 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 | #20,512 | #22,066 | -7.6% |
| Count | 1,293 | 1,200 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.44 | 0.40 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nitschke bearers went from 1,293 to 1,200 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 1,554 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,512 to #22,066.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Nitschke
FAQ
Nitschke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nitschke?
Name Census estimates that about 1,376 living Americans carry the surname Nitschke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 249,095 residents.
How common is Nitschke?
Nitschke ranks #22,066 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.40 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 1,200 people with the surname Nitschke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,376), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.40 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 Nitschke.
Has Nitschke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nitschke went from 1,293 recorded bearers to 1,200. That is a decrease of 93 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #20,512 to #22,066.
What does the Census say about the background of Nitschke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nitschke, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Nitschke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (1,136 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nitschke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Hispanic (2.3%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Nitschke (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 Nitschke mean?
Of German origin, a topographic surname referring to someone living near a ravine or gully. 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 Nitschke (0.40 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 common is the surname Nitschke?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Nitschke is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.