2000
#50,468
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 389
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Very Rare Last name
Nim
A surname of unknown origin, potentially derived from a Middle English nickname.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 674 Americans carry the last name Nim. That puts it at #40,219 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 508,538 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nim 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
674
1 in 508,538
Census rank
#40,219
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
588
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 588 bearers of the surname Nim in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 40219th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nim, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 82.0%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and Black (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nim
The surname NIM originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "nim," which means "nobody" or "nothing." The name was likely given as a nickname or descriptive name to someone who was considered insignificant or of little importance.
The earliest recorded instances of the name NIM can be found in medieval French records from the 13th and 14th centuries. For example, there is a mention of a Guillaume Nim in a document from the Normandy region dated 1274. Another early reference is a Jean Nim who was listed in a tax record from the town of Rouen in 1396.
One of the earliest notable figures with the surname NIM was Jacques Nim, a French merchant and ship owner who lived in the coastal city of La Rochelle in the late 15th century (c. 1460-1525). He was known for his lucrative trade ventures with the West Indies and is mentioned in several contemporary accounts of the time.
Another influential NIM was Marie Nim (c. 1520-1587), a skilled lace maker from the city of Lille in northern France. She is credited with helping to popularize and refine the intricate lace-making techniques that the region became famous for.
In the 17th century, there was a French jurist and legal scholar named Pierre Nim (1612-1682), who served as a judge in the Parlement of Paris and authored several respected treatises on French law.
A more recent historical figure with the NIM surname was Jacques-Marie Nim (1793-1867), a French Catholic priest and missionary who spent many years working in the South Pacific islands, including Samoa and Tahiti.
It's worth noting that while the name NIM originated in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nim
Among Census respondents with the surname Nim, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 82.0%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and Black (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Nim 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 Nim surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander82.0% · 482
- White9.2% · 54
- Black or African American2.9% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 17
- Two or more races2.7% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nim
Nim 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
#44,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 478
+89 bearers (+22.9%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Up 5,596 places
2020
#40,219
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 588
+110 bearers (+23.0%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Up 4,653 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #50,468 | 389 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #44,872 | 478 | 0.16 | +89 bearers (+22.9%) | Up 5,596 places |
| 2020 | #40,219 | 588 | 0.20 | +110 bearers (+23.0%) | Up 4,653 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 Nim 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 | #44,872 | #40,219 | 10.4% |
| Count | 478 | 588 | 23.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.20 | 23.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nim bearers went from 478 to 588 (+23.0% change). The surname moved up 4,653 positions in the national ranking, going from #44,872 to #40,219.
FAQ
Nim surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nim?
Name Census estimates that about 674 living Americans carry the surname Nim. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 508,538 residents.
How common is Nim?
Nim ranks #40,219 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.20 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 588 people with the surname Nim. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (674), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.20 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 Nim.
Has Nim become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nim went from 478 recorded bearers to 588. That is an increase of 110 (+23.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #44,872 to #40,219.
What does the Census say about the background of Nim?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nim, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 82.0%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and Black (2.9%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Nim in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.0% (482 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nim appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (82.0%), White (9.2%), Black (2.9%). 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 Nim (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 Nim mean?
A surname of unknown origin, potentially derived from a Middle English nickname. 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 Nim (0.20 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 Nim?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.