2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nordbeck
A surname of German origin meaning "one who lived by the north stream or brook".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Nordbeck. 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 Nordbeck 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 Nordbeck 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 Nordbeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nordbeck
The surname Nordbeck originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German words "nord" meaning north and "beck" meaning stream or brook. This suggests that the name may have originated from a location near a northern stream or brook.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nordbeck can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Havelberg, Brandenburg, in the late 1500s. These records document the baptism and marriage of individuals with the surname Nordbeck.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Nordbeck began to appear in various historical documents across northern Germany. For example, in 1643, a Hans Nordbeck was listed as a landowner in the village of Neubrandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
In the 19th century, the Nordbeck surname gained prominence with the birth of the German mathematician and astronomer Ludwig Nordbeck (1803-1892). He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
Another notable figure with the surname Nordbeck was the German jurist and politician Friedrich Nordbeck (1822-1895). He served as a member of the Reichstag (Imperial Diet) and was a vocal advocate for legal reform and civil rights.
The name Nordbeck also has connections to various place names in northern Germany. For instance, the village of Nordbecken in Lower Saxony is believed to have derived its name from the nearby stream Nordbeck. Similarly, the town of Nordbeck in Schleswig-Holstein may have been named after a family or individual with the surname Nordbeck.
Throughout history, variations of the spelling Nordbeck have been recorded, such as Nordbeck, Nordbecke, and Nordbecken. However, the core elements of "nord" and "beck" have remained consistent, reflecting the name's origins.
Other notable individuals with the surname Nordbeck include the German artist and illustrator Carl Nordbeck (1854-1936), the Norwegian-American businessman and entrepreneur Ole Nordbeck (1868-1940), and the German author and playwright Herta Nordbeck (1910-1995).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nordbeck
Among Census respondents with the surname Nordbeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Nordbeck 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 Nordbeck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 115
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nordbeck
Nordbeck 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+24 bearers (+23.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 14,616 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-10 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,045 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +24 bearers (+23.8%) | Up 14,616 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 11,045 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 Nordbeck 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 | #134,712 | #145,757 | -8.2% |
| Count | 125 | 115 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nordbeck bearers went from 125 to 115 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 11,045 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #145,757.
FAQ
Nordbeck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nordbeck?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Nordbeck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Nordbeck?
Nordbeck 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 Nordbeck. 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 Nordbeck.
Has Nordbeck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nordbeck went from 125 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Nordbeck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nordbeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Nordbeck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nordbeck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Nordbeck (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 Nordbeck mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "one who lived by the north stream or brook". 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 Nordbeck (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 have the surname Nordbeck?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.