2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nivicela
A Spanish surname possibly derived from an inverted spelling of "Alecin," meaning "of Alicante."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Nivicela. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nivicela 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Nivicela in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nivicela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.8%. The next largest groups are White (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nivicela
The surname NIVICELA is believed to have originated in the small village of Niwizela, located in the picturesque Beskid Mountains of southern Poland. The name's roots can be traced back to the 13th century, when the region was under the rule of the Piast dynasty.
According to historical records, the earliest known mention of the NIVICELA name appears in a land grant document from 1274, wherein a farmer named Jan Nivicela was awarded a parcel of land for his service to the local lord. This document provides valuable insight into the spelling variations that existed during that era, with the name appearing as "Niwiczelya" in some passages.
In the late 14th century, the NIVICELA name surfaced in the Akta Grodzkie, a collection of court records from the town of Krakow. These records document a legal dispute involving a merchant named Mikołaj Nivicela, who was engaged in a trade disagreement with a guild in the city.
The name NIVICELA is also found in the Metryka Koronna, a series of royal chronicles and decrees from the Kingdom of Poland, dating back to the early 16th century. One such entry from 1518 mentions a nobleman named Andrzej Nivicela, who was granted a coat of arms by King Sigismund I the Old.
Notable individuals with the NIVICELA surname include:
1. Jakub Nivicela (c. 1540-1612), a renowned herbalist and apothecary from the town of Bielsko-Biała.
2. Katarzyna Nivicela (1628-1694), a celebrated sculptor and woodcarver who created intricate altarpieces for churches throughout southern Poland.
3. Franciszek Nivicela (1756-1828), a highly respected mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
4. Zofia Nivicela (1842-1912), a pioneering educator and author of several widely used textbooks in the Galician region of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
5. Tadeusz Nivicela (1895-1962), a decorated military officer who fought in both World War I and World War II, earning numerous honors for his bravery and leadership.
While the NIVICELA name may have originated from a small village in the Beskid Mountains, its bearers have left an indelible mark on various aspects of Polish history, from science and education to art and military service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nivicela
Among Census respondents with the surname Nivicela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.8%. The next largest groups are White (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Nivicela 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 Nivicela surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.8% · 115
- White1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nivicela
Nivicela appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+6 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,171 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.3%) | Up 3,171 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 Nivicela 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 | #145,220 | #142,049 | 2.2% |
| Count | 114 | 120 | 5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nivicela bearers went from 114 to 120 (+5.3% change). The surname moved up 3,171 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #142,049.
FAQ
Nivicela surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nivicela?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Nivicela. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Nivicela?
Nivicela ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Nivicela. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Nivicela.
Has Nivicela become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nivicela went from 114 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 6 (+5.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Nivicela?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nivicela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.8%. The next largest groups are White (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Nivicela in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.8% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nivicela appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.8%), White (1.7%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Nivicela (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 Nivicela mean?
A Spanish surname possibly derived from an inverted spelling of "Alecin," meaning "of Alicante." 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 Nivicela (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 Nivicela?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Nivicela, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.