Nesbit
A diminutive of Agnes, a Greek name meaning "pure, sacred".
Name Census estimates that about 8 living Americans carry the first name Nesbit. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 77.5% of registrations being male. The average person named Nesbit today is around 88 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nesbit births was 1916 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nesbit. 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
- • The typical person named Nesbit is about 88 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Nesbits were born before 1948.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Nesbit. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
8
~ 1 in 42,844,292 Americans
Peak year
1916
11 babies that year
Average age
88
years old
1951 SSA rank
#4,092
Tracked since 1914
Gender
Gender distribution for Nesbit
Nesbit is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 80 total registrations, 62 (77.5%) were male and 18 (22.5%) were female.
Nesbit as a male name
- Ranked #4,092 in 1951
- 5 male births in 1951
- Peak: 1921 (8 births)
Nesbit as a female name
- Ranked #4,950 in 1916
- 5 female births in 1916
- Peak: 1915 (7 births)
Popularity
Nesbit: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nesbit from the 1910s through to the 1950s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 31 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nesbit 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 Nesbit during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nesbit
The name Nesbit is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "ness" meaning "headland" or "promontory" and "byt" meaning "dwelling" or "abode." It likely originated as a surname referring to someone who lived near a promontory or headland.
In terms of historical references, the earliest recorded use of the name Nesbit dates back to the 12th century in England. It was primarily used as a surname during this time, with little evidence of its use as a first name until much later.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Nesbit was Sir William Nesbit, a Scottish knight who lived in the 14th century. He was a prominent figure in the Wars of Scottish Independence and fought alongside William Wallace and Robert the Bruce.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Nesbit was Thomas Nesbit, an English Puritan clergyman and writer who lived from 1536 to 1590. He is known for his work "A Plain and Pithy Introduction to the Christian Faith," published in 1587.
Another historically significant individual with the name Nesbit was Edith Nesbit, a renowned English author and poet who lived from 1858 to 1924. She is best known for her children's fantasy novels, including "The Railway Children," "Five Children and It," and "The Phoenix and the Carpet."
In the 20th century, Wilbur D. Nesbit was a notable American lawyer and politician who served as the 16th Governor of New Mexico from 1917 to 1919. He was born in 1871 and made significant contributions to the development of New Mexico during his tenure as governor.
Lastly, Hubert Nesbit was a British artist and illustrator who lived from 1892 to 1967. He is particularly known for his illustrations in children's books, including works by his wife, Edith Nesbit, and other renowned authors of the time.
While not as common as a first name today, the name Nesbit has a rich history and has been borne by several notable figures throughout the centuries, particularly in England and Scotland.
People
Nesbit + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nesbit 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
Nesbit: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nesbit?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nesbit 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 Nesbit a common name?
We classify Nesbit 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, 80 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nesbit most popular?
The single biggest year for Nesbit was 1916, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nesbit is about 88 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Nesbit in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nesbit a male name?
Yes, 77.5% of people registered as Nesbit 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 Nesbit still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nesbit 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 Nesbit 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Nesbit as a first name?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Nesbit, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.