2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nussle
A German surname originating as a nickname for someone with a small or snub nose.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Nussle. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nussle 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Nussle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nussle, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nussle
The surname Nussle has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "nusse," which referred to a nut or a walnut tree. This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with individuals who lived near or worked with walnut trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nussle can be found in the historical records of the city of Nuremberg, where a merchant named Hans Nussle was documented in 1532. The name also appeared in various church records and legal documents throughout the 16th and 17th centuries in regions such as Bavaria and Saxony.
In the late 17th century, a notable figure named Johann Nussle (1635-1705) gained recognition as a respected theologian and philosopher in the city of Jena. His works on religious studies and ethics were widely read and discussed during his lifetime.
The Nussle surname also had a presence in the military history of Germany. During the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), there are records of a Captain Wilhelm Nussle (1600-1672) who served in the Protestant forces and played a role in several battles.
As the name spread across different regions, variations in spelling emerged, such as Nußle, Nüssle, and Nussler. These variations were influenced by local dialects and linguistic traditions.
Another prominent individual with the Nussle surname was Friedrich Nussle (1786-1856), a renowned architect and urban planner who contributed to the development of several cities in the German states during the 19th century. His most notable works include the design of public buildings and urban planning projects in cities like Berlin and Dresden.
In the late 19th century, a family of Nussles settled in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where they established a successful bakery business. The Nussle family bakery became renowned for its traditional German breads and pastries, and it continued to operate for several generations.
While the Nussle surname is not among the most common in Germany, it has a rich history and has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, scholars, military personnel, architects, and entrepreneurs.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nussle
Among Census respondents with the surname Nussle, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Nussle 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 Nussle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 114
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nussle
Nussle 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-11 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,655 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+8 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,274 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 20,655 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.5%) | Up 7,274 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 Nussle 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 | #153,769 | #146,495 | 4.7% |
| Count | 106 | 114 | 7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nussle bearers went from 106 to 114 (+7.5% change). The surname moved up 7,274 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #146,495.
FAQ
Nussle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nussle?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Nussle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Nussle?
Nussle ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Nussle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Nussle.
Has Nussle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nussle went from 106 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 8 (+7.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Nussle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nussle, 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 Nussle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nussle 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 Nussle (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 Nussle mean?
A German surname originating as a nickname for someone with a small or snub nose. 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 Nussle (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 share the surname Nussle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.