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

Nurmi, 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 Nurmi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nurmi in America

Nurmi is the 37848th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nurmi surname appeared 587 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 Nurmi.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nurmi 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 Nurmi

The surname Nurmi is of Finnish origin, with records dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Finnish word "nurmi," meaning "meadow" or "grassland," likely referring to a person who lived near or owned a meadow or grassy area.

The earliest known record of the surname Nurmi appears in the parish records of Vesilahti, a municipality located in the Pirkanmaa region of modern-day Finland, in the year 1592. The name was likely derived from a farm or village name that incorporated the word "nurmi."

In the 17th century, the surname Nurmi began to spread across Finland, particularly in the southwestern and western regions of the country. It was a common name among farmers and landowners in rural areas, reflecting the agricultural roots of the name's origin.

One of the earliest notable individuals to bear the surname Nurmi was Paavo Nurmi, a Finnish long-distance runner and one of the most successful athletes of the early 20th century. Born in 1897 in Turku, Finland, Nurmi won nine gold medals and three silver medals across three Olympic Games (1920, 1924, and 1928) and set numerous world records in various long-distance running events.

Another prominent figure with the surname Nurmi was Arvo Nurmi, a Finnish politician and trade unionist who served as the chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Finland from 1957 to 1963. He was born in 1904 in Virolahti and played a significant role in shaping Finland's labor and social policies in the mid-20th century.

In the field of literature, Selma Nurmi (1878-1957) was a notable Finnish writer and poet. Her works often explored the experiences of women and the working class in Finland during the early 20th century.

The surname Nurmi has also been associated with various place names in Finland. For example, the village of Nurmi in the municipality of Ruovesi and the district of Nurmi in the city of Vaasa both derive their names from the Finnish word "nurmi," reflecting the prevalence of meadows or grasslands in those areas.

Other notable individuals with the surname Nurmi throughout history include Eino Nurmi (1892-1958), a Finnish wrestler and Olympic medalist, and Urho Nurmi (1878-1964), a Finnish military officer and politician who served as the Minister of Defense in the 1920s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nurmi

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

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

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

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