2000
#12,982
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,165
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Nalls
Derived from a place name meaning "at the alder trees" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,479 Americans carry the last name Nalls. That puts it at #13,463 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 138,263 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nalls surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 138,263
Census rank
#13,463
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,162 bearers of the surname Nalls in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13463rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nalls, the largest self-reported group is Black at 58.3%. The next largest groups are White (33.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nalls
The surname Nalls is of English origin, with its roots tracing back to the medieval period in the county of Gloucestershire. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a now-lost or unidentified place name that may have been spelled "Nal" or a similar variation. Some scholars suggest that the name may be derived from the Old English words "nael" meaning "valley" or "naeld" meaning "wooded area".
One of the earliest known records of the name dates back to the 13th century, appearing in the Hundred Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1273, where a certain Robert de Nal is mentioned. This indicates that the surname was already established by that time, likely originating as a descriptive name for someone who lived near or came from a particular valley or wooded area.
In the 14th century, the surname appears in various forms, such as "Nale" and "Nayles", in the Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1327 and 1380, respectively. These variations in spelling were common during the Middle Ages, as standardized spelling had not yet been established.
Notably, the name Nalls appears in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants commissioned by William the Conqueror. While the exact entry is unclear, it is believed to be a variant spelling of the name, further solidifying its long-standing presence in England.
Some notable individuals bearing the surname Nalls throughout history include:
1. Sir Thomas Nalls (c. 1520 - 1585), an English merchant and explorer who played a significant role in the establishment of trade routes between England and the Mediterranean region.
2. John Nalls (1639 - 1721), an influential Puritan minister and author from Massachusetts Bay Colony, known for his sermons and religious writings.
3. Mary Nalls (1788 - 1856), a British novelist and poet, whose works were acclaimed for their vivid descriptions of rural life in the early 19th century.
4. Edward Nalls (1867 - 1943), an American politician and lawyer who served as the mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, from 1908 to 1911.
5. William Nalls (1904 - 1992), an esteemed American jazz musician and saxophonist, renowned for his contributions to the swing and bebop genres.
While the surname Nalls may have evolved from various place names and spellings over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in the English county of Gloucestershire, where it emerged as a locational name describing those who lived in a particular valley or wooded area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nalls
Among Census respondents with the surname Nalls, the largest self-reported group is Black at 58.3%. The next largest groups are White (33.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Nalls bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Nalls surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American58.3% · 1,260
- White33.6% · 726
- Two or more races4.5% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nalls
Nalls appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#11,818
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,648
+483 bearers (+22.3%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 1,164 places
2020
#13,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,162
-486 bearers (-18.4%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 1,645 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,982 | 2,165 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,818 | 2,648 | 0.90 | +483 bearers (+22.3%) | Up 1,164 places |
| 2020 | #13,463 | 2,162 | 0.72 | -486 bearers (-18.4%) | Down 1,645 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Nalls surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,818 | #13,463 | -13.9% |
| Count | 2,648 | 2,162 | -18.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.72 | -19.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nalls bearers went from 2,648 to 2,162 (-18.4% change). The surname moved down 1,645 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,818 to #13,463.
FAQ
Nalls surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nalls?
Name Census estimates that about 2,479 living Americans carry the surname Nalls. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 138,263 residents.
How common is Nalls?
Nalls ranks #13,463 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,162 people with the surname Nalls. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,479), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Nalls.
Has Nalls become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nalls went from 2,648 recorded bearers to 2,162. That is a decrease of 486 (-18.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,818 to #13,463.
What does the Census say about the background of Nalls?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nalls, the largest self-reported group is Black at 58.3%. The next largest groups are White (33.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Nalls in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.3% (1,260 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nalls appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (58.3%), White (33.6%), Two or More Races (4.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Nalls (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Nalls mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "at the alder trees" in Old English. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Nalls (0.72 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Nalls?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.