Explore the Family Name Nafziger

The meaning of Nafziger

German: variant of Nafzger, a surname of predominantly Swiss German origin. The surname Nafziger is also found in France (mainly Lorraine), but not in Switzerland. Compare Naffziger, Noffsinger, Nofsinger, Nofziger, and Nofzinger. History: This is the name of a Swiss Mennonite family, originally spelled Nafzger, but among the Mennonites in the US apparently established only in various altered forms, besides Nafziger most notably Naffziger, Nofziger, and Nofzinger. In the 18th century the name Nafziger was already found both in the Palatinate (Germany) and in Alsace (France), and later also in Luxembourg. It was first brought to North America in 1749.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Nafziger in the United States?

According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Nafziger ranked 22,174 in popularity in 2000 and slightly increased to 22,646 in 2010, showing a minor drop of 2.13%. The count of individuals with this surname went up from 1,087 to 1,133 during the same time frame, marking an increase of 4.23%. However, when considering the proportion per 100,000 people, the figure saw a slight reduction of 5% moving from 0.4 to 0.38.

20002010Change
Rank#22,174#22,646-2.13%
Count1,0871,1334.23%
Proportion per 100k0.40.38-5%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Nafziger

Exploring the ethnic identity associated with the Nafziger surname based on the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals a predominant white demographic, accounting for 96.96% in 2000 and 96.56% in 2010. This represented a minor decrease of 0.41%. Hispanic representation within the Nafziger population grew from 1.10% to 1.59%, reflecting an impressive growth rate of 44.55%. Those identifying as two or more races also experienced an increase from 0.74% to 0.88%, a change of 18.92%. On the other hand, the percentage of Black individuals bearing the Nafziger surname fell by 40.54%, from 0.74% to 0.44%. There were no recorded individuals of Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnicity with the Nafziger surname in either 2000 or 2010.

20002010Change
White96.96%96.56%-0.41%
Hispanic1.1%1.59%44.55%
Two or More Races0.74%0.88%18.92%
Black0.74%0.44%-40.54%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%