Meaning, Origin & Family History (2024)

The meaning of Niemi

Finnish: ornamental name from niemi ‘headland, spit’, adopted largely in the late 19th century by Finns without surnames and during the early 20th century name-changing campaigns to replace Swedish surnames (compare Laine 4). In part, however, this is a habitational name from farms so named, with reference to their location. In North America, Niemi is also found a shortened form of other surnames containing this element, such as Rajaniemi and Sotaniemi. Some characteristic forenames: Finnish Eino, Reino, Arvo, Waino, Eero, Niilo, Urho, Armi, Lempi, Onni, Sulo, Vieno.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Niemi experienced a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Niemi was ranked as the 7234th most popular surname, but by 2010 it had slipped to the 7767th position, representing a change of -7.37%. However, despite this drop in rank, the actual count of individuals with the Niemi surname slightly increased from 4253 to 4272 during the same time period. The proportion per 100,000 people also saw a small decrease of -8.23%, moving from 1.58 in 2000 to 1.45 in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#7,234	#7,767	-7.37%
Count	4,253	4,272	0.45%
Proportion per 100k	1.58	1.45	-8.23%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Niemi

The ethnic identity associated with the Niemi surname shifted somewhat over the 10-year span from 2000 to 2010, according to Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, the majority of those with the Niemi surname identified as White (96.38%), but this percentage decreased slightly to 94.73% by 2010. There was also a notable increase in individuals identifying as two or more races, going from 0.96% to 1.83%. Although still a small portion, the number of Niemis identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander also increased from 0.40% to 0.51%, and there was a rise in those identifying as Hispanic, from 1.18% to 1.83%. The percentages for Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnicity remained relatively stable.

	2000	2010	Change
White	96.38%	94.73%	-1.71%
Two or More Races	0.96%	1.83%	90.63%
Hispanic	1.18%	1.83%	55.08%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0.82%	0.84%	2.44%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.4%	0.51%	27.5%
Black	0.26%	0.26%	0%

Niemi ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Niemi is British & Irish, which comprises 28.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Finnish (26.5%) and French & German (20.0%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Eastern European, Italian, Greek & Balkan, and Korean.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN	COMPOSITION
British & Irish	28.3%
Finnish	26.5%
French & German	20.0%
Other	25.1%

Possible origins of the surname Niemi

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Niemi have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY Location	Percentage
West Midlands, United Kingdom	68.50%
Merseyside, United Kingdom	68.50%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom	68.50%
Greater London, United Kingdom	68.50%
West Yorkshire, United Kingdom	67.70%

What Niemi haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Niemi is I-L258, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-L258 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include N-CTS1737 and N-M178, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Maki, Kangas, Aho, Koski, Mattson, Erickson, Hendrickson, Peterson, Danielson, Gustafson.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Niemi surname are: H1, H, T2. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170

Your paternal lineage may be linked to many northern European men

If you have haplogroup I1a1b, your paternal line stems from a young branch of I-M253 called I-L22, which likely arose in the last 3,000 years. I-L22 is most common in Northern Europe, but a recent study found that this haplogroup was present in a significant portion of the Partecipanza population living in San Giovanni in Persiceto, Italy. The area of San Giovanni in Persiceto was involved in a migration period in 728 AD, when it became part of the Lombard kingdom, under King Aistulf. San Giovanni in Persiceto was only under Lombard rule for 48 years, after which the Lombards were defeated by King Charlemagne in 776 AD. There are several characteristics of San Giovanni in Persiceto that link it to other Lombard settlements. For instance, some research suggests San Giovanni in Persiceto was the seat of a Lombard Duke between 750 and 800 AD. It is possible that the Lombards who ruled over San Giovanni in Persiceto played an important role in the introduction and growth of haplogroup I-L22 in the region.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

What do people with the surname Niemi have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Niemi" Surname 38.9%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Vanilla Ice Cream

Prefers vanilla flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Niemi" Surname 37.0%

23andMe Users 36.7%

Like Very Cold Weather

Enjoys weather that is colder than 40 degrees Farenheit

"Niemi" Surname 20.5%

23andMe Users 24.8%

Likes Sweets

Enjoys eating sweets more than other people.

"Niemi" Surname 29.6%

23andMe Users 33.8%

Stawberry Ice Cream

Prefers strawberry flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Niemi" Surname 14.8%

23andMe Users 14.7%

Likes Hoppy Beer

Like beer that has a strong hop flavor and aroma.

"Niemi" Surname 26.3%

23andMe Users 20.0%