Neese
An English-language surname with several possible origins, most likely from a nickname or local feature, and sometimes linked to the old word for “niece.”
The #6,379 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 57,872 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Neese is not firmly settled, and the historical sources point to more than one possible explanation. Some writers connect it with a Middle English word for “niece,” while others think it may be a local or descriptive name, perhaps from a feature such as a headland or even “nose.” A French influence is also possible in some related forms, but the evidence is not strong enough to choose one origin with confidence.
History
The name appears in older surname discussions mainly as a brief cross-reference rather than a fully documented family name. In English-language surname study, it has been treated as a form that may overlap with Nees, Neece, Niece, and similar spellings. Because the etymology is uncertain, its history is best understood as a surname that likely developed independently in more than one place or from more than one root.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some early surname scholars even floated a connection with the word “nose,” showing how much guesswork could be involved in 19th- and early-20th-century name etymology.
From the historical record
“Kesmith ; v. Nasmith. "Neaa, Neese.— Local, 'at the tiess/ i.e. at the promontory or headland; cC Holderness, Sheer- nessy Harkness, &c William del Ness, of Ness, co. Norf.,”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)