2000
#18,246
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,404
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.52
Rare Last name
Nuzum
A variant of the German surname Neusum, derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,667 Americans carry the last name Nuzum. That puts it at #18,738 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 205,611 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nuzum 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
1.7K
1 in 205,611
Census rank
#18,738
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,454 bearers of the surname Nuzum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18738th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nuzum, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nuzum
The surname NUZUM is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest known bearers hailing from regions such as Bavaria and Saxony. The name likely derives from the Old German word "nutz," meaning "useful" or "profitable," suggesting it may have initially been an occupational surname for someone who worked in a trade or profession considered valuable to the community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the NUZUM surname dates back to the 13th century, when a Hans Nuzum was mentioned in a medieval German document from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Other early spellings of the name include Nutzen, Nutzman, and Nutzemann, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and orthography.
In the 16th century, the NUZUM name appeared in several records from the Holy Roman Empire, including the birth of a Johann Nuzum in Augsburg in 1542. During this time, the name also began to spread beyond Germany, with a branch of the family settling in the Netherlands, where the spelling was adapted to Nutsem or Nutsema.
While no NUZUM individuals of particular historical significance have been identified, several notable people with similar surnames can be found throughout history. For instance, Johann Christoph Nutzen (1675-1756) was a German philosopher and mathematician who made contributions to the field of calculus. In the realm of literature, the Dutch poet and playwright Adriaen Nutsema (1589-1656) is remembered for his work in the Dutch Renaissance.
As the NUZUM name continued to disperse across Europe in subsequent centuries, it also found its way to other parts of the world through migration and emigration. In the 19th century, a family bearing the NUZUM surname settled in the United States, with records indicating the birth of a William Nuzum in Pennsylvania in 1832.
Another notable figure with this surname was the American botanist Henry Nutsum (1856-1932), who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and conducted extensive fieldwork in the western United States. Additionally, the British actor and playwright Anthony Nutzem (1902-1985) achieved recognition for his roles in several popular films and television shows during the mid-20th century.
While the NUZUM surname may not be among the most widespread or well-known, its origins and historical journey reflect the diverse cultural influences and migrations that have shaped many family names over the centuries, serving as a testament to the rich tapestry of human experiences and lineages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nuzum
Among Census respondents with the surname Nuzum, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Nuzum 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 Nuzum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 1,311
- Two or more races3.9% · 56
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 37
- Black or African American2.1% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nuzum
Nuzum 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
#18,648
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,475
+71 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.50
Rank movement Down 402 places
2020
#18,738
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,454
-21 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.49
Rank movement Down 90 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,246 | 1,404 | 0.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,648 | 1,475 | 0.50 | +71 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 402 places |
| 2020 | #18,738 | 1,454 | 0.49 | -21 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 90 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 Nuzum 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 | #18,648 | #18,738 | -0.5% |
| Count | 1,475 | 1,454 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.50 | 0.49 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nuzum bearers went from 1,475 to 1,454 (-1.4% change). The surname moved down 90 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,648 to #18,738.
FAQ
Nuzum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nuzum?
Name Census estimates that about 1,667 living Americans carry the surname Nuzum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 205,611 residents.
How common is Nuzum?
Nuzum ranks #18,738 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.49 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 1,454 people with the surname Nuzum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,667), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.49 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 Nuzum.
Has Nuzum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nuzum went from 1,475 recorded bearers to 1,454. That is a decrease of 21 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #18,648 to #18,738.
What does the Census say about the background of Nuzum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nuzum, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) 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 Nuzum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (1,311 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nuzum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Two or More Races (3.9%), 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 Nuzum (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 Nuzum mean?
A variant of the German surname Neusum, derived from a place name. 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 Nuzum (0.49 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 last name Nuzum?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Nuzum on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.