2000
#8,202
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,723
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.38
Rare Last name
Nuss
A German occupational surname referring to someone who harvested or sold nuts.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,072 Americans carry the last name Nuss. That puts it at #8,852 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,173 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nuss 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
4.1K
1 in 84,173
Census rank
#8,852
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,551 bearers of the surname Nuss in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8852nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nuss, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nuss
The surname NUSS originates from Germany, specifically from the southern regions, and has its roots dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the German word "Nuss," which translates to "nut" in English, suggesting a possible connection to the nut trade or a place name associated with nut trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the NUSS surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Württemberg, Germany. In this compilation, the name appears as "Nuzze" in a record from the year 1289, referring to a person residing in the town of Esslingen.
During the 14th century, the NUSS surname gained prominence in the city of Nuremberg, where several individuals bearing this name were documented in various records. One notable figure was Hans NUSS, a prominent merchant who lived between 1350 and 1418. He was actively involved in the city's trade affairs and held influential positions within the local guilds.
In the 16th century, the NUSS surname spread to other parts of Germany, including the regions of Saxony and Bavaria. One notable individual from this period was Johann NUSS, a Lutheran theologian born in Saxony in 1535. He served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg and contributed to the ongoing religious debates of the Reformation era.
The 17th century saw the emergence of Johann Christoph NUSS, a renowned German composer and organist born in Hesse in 1628. His works, including sacred choral pieces and instrumental compositions, earned him considerable recognition during his lifetime.
Another notable figure bearing the NUSS surname was Georg Adam NUSS, a German painter born in Nuremberg in 1767. He was recognized for his skilled portraiture and historical paintings, which adorned various churches and public buildings in his native city.
Throughout history, the NUSS surname has been associated with various place names, such as Nussdorf (meaning "nut village") and Nussbach (meaning "nut stream"), further reinforcing the connection to the German word "Nuss" and its potential origins from areas known for nut cultivation or trade.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nuss
Among Census respondents with the surname Nuss, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Nuss 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 Nuss surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 3,311
- Two or more races2.9% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 23
- Black or African American0.5% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nuss
Nuss 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
#8,714
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,765
+42 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Down 512 places
2020
#8,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,551
-214 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Down 138 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,202 | 3,723 | 1.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,714 | 3,765 | 1.28 | +42 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 512 places |
| 2020 | #8,852 | 3,551 | 1.19 | -214 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 138 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 Nuss 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 | #8,714 | #8,852 | -1.6% |
| Count | 3,765 | 3,551 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.28 | 1.19 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nuss bearers went from 3,765 to 3,551 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 138 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,714 to #8,852.
FAQ
Nuss surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nuss?
Name Census estimates that about 4,072 living Americans carry the surname Nuss. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,173 residents.
How common is Nuss?
Nuss ranks #8,852 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,551 people with the surname Nuss. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,072), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Nuss.
Has Nuss become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nuss went from 3,765 recorded bearers to 3,551. That is a decrease of 214 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,714 to #8,852.
What does the Census say about the background of Nuss?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nuss, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Nuss in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (3,311 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nuss appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Nuss (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 Nuss mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who harvested or sold nuts. 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 Nuss (1.19 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 Nuss?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Nuss on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.