Explore the Family Name Needle

The meaning of Needle

1. English: from Middle English nedle, nadle ‘needle’ (Old English nǣdle), hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker of needles or, in some cases, perhaps for a tailor. See also Nadler. 2. Jewish (American): translation of Nadel. Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Emanuel.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Needle has slightly increased between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 31,530th in terms of popularity, but by 2010 it had improved to a rank of 30,889th, representing a 2.03% growth. The count of people bearing this surname also increased from 694 in 2000 to 753 in 2010, an 8.5% increase. However, the proportion per 100,000 people remained constant at 0.26 during both years.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#31,530	#30,889	2.03%
Count	694	753	8.5%
Proportion per 100k	0.26	0.26	0%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Needle

Looking at the ethnic identity associated with the surname Needle, based on the Decennial U.S. Census, there were some notable changes between 2000 and 2010. Those identifying as White decreased slightly from 96.54% to 94.29%, while those identifying as Hispanic saw a significant rise from 1.73% to 2.79%. Moreover, while no one bearing the Needle surname identified themselves as Black in 2000, by 2010 there was a small percentage (0.80%) who did so. Individuals reporting two or more ethnicities also increased dramatically, from 0.72% to 1.73%. Notably, there were no individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

	2000	2010	Change
White	96.54%	94.29%	-2.33%
Hispanic	1.73%	2.79%	61.27%
Two or More Races	0.72%	1.73%	140.28%
Black	0%	0.8%	0%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%