Nerses
An Armenian masculine name deriving from the word "narse" meaning "tender plant".
Name Census estimates that about 8 living Americans carry the first name Nerses. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nerses today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nerses births was 1999 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nerses. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Nerses. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
8
~ 1 in 42,844,292 Americans
Peak year
1999
8 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
1999 SSA rank
#7,657
Tracked since 1999
Census
Nerses in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 257 people with the first name Nerses, which placed it at #32,623 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#32,623
National first-name rank
People counted
257
257 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
98.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nerses
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nerses is White at 98.4%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Nerses described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Nerses at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.4% · 253
- Black or African American0.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
- Two or more races0.4% · 1
Popularity
Nerses: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Nerses by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Nerses during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8 | 0 | 8 |
Geography
Where Nerses' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Nerses
The name Nerses originated from the Armenian language and culture, with its earliest known use dating back to the 4th century AD. It is derived from the Armenian word "nerse," meaning "tender" or "delicate." The name gained widespread popularity in the Armenian Christian community, particularly among the clergy and religious figures.
One of the most notable historical references to the name Nerses can be found in the life of St. Nerses the Great (c. 335-373 AD), who was a prominent theologian, philosopher, and Catholicos (head of the Armenian Apostolic Church) during the 4th century. He played a crucial role in the development of Armenian Christian theology and is revered as a saint in the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Another influential figure bearing the name Nerses was Nerses IV Shnorhali (c. 1102-1173 AD), who was a renowned Armenian poet, theologian, and Catholicos. He is known for his contributions to Armenian literature, particularly his poetic works and theological writings.
In the 12th century, Nerses Lambronaci (c. 1153-1198 AD) was a prominent Armenian clergyman and writer who served as the Archbishop of Tarsus. He is remembered for his literary works, including hymns and theological treatises.
The name Nerses also gained recognition in the 19th century with Nerses Ashtaraketsi (1835-1888 AD), an Armenian writer, educator, and clergyman. He played a significant role in the Armenian cultural renaissance and is celebrated for his contributions to Armenian literature and education.
Another notable figure was Nerses V Palian (1898-1971 AD), who served as the Catholicos of All Armenians from 1945 to 1971. He was a prominent religious leader and played a crucial role in the preservation and advancement of Armenian culture and traditions during the turbulent 20th century.
These are just a few examples of the many influential figures throughout history who bore the name Nerses, highlighting its deep roots in Armenian culture and its association with religious, literary, and intellectual pursuits.
People
Nerses + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nerses as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nerses: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nerses?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nerses going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 42,844,292 US residents.
Is Nerses a common name?
We classify Nerses as "Very Rare". It ranks above 24.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 8 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nerses most popular?
The single biggest year for Nerses was 1999, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nerses is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nerses in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 257 people with the name Nerses, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #32,623 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Nerses in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Nerses?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Nerses leans strongly male. 262 people counted with this name were male (98.1%), compared with 5 female bearers (1.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Nerses?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nerses is White at 98.4%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Nerses most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Nerses in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.4% (253 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Nerses in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nerses a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nerses in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Nerses still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nerses in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Nerses can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are called Nerses?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.