The Nissen surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,964 people carried this name — #6,796 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 59,500 people counted. That is down 1% from 5,018 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Nissen surname
A surname originating as a patronymic.
Originally a patronymic from Nis + -sen. Variant of Nielsen.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Nissen» (Danish), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 65 people named Nissen.
13 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 11 départements, most often Nord.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
56 people named Nissen live in Switzerland.
They live in 8 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 53 people named Nissen live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Formosa.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 31 people named Nissen live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Liège.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In the Nordic population registers
351 people named Nissen are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Nissen in American newspapers,
1900–1921.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 35,671 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Nissen,
with a public archive behind them.
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Anneliese Nissen d. 1994 · pianist
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Niclas Nissen d. 1688 · book printer
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Lorenz Nissen 1603–1655
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Nikolaj Nissen 1627–1684 · judge
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Nicolai Nissen 1664–1717 · civil servant
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Christian Ulrich von Nissen-Benzon 1691–1756 · judge
Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Nissen.
When the index is not enough
This page says where Nissen is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.