2000
#116,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Nankin
A surname derived from the French city of Nankin, likely given to someone from there.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Nankin. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nankin 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Nankin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nankin, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nankin
The surname Nankin has its origins in England, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the word "Nankeen", which was a type of yellowish cotton fabric originally imported from the city of Nanking (now known as Nanjing) in China. The name likely referred to someone who worked with or traded in this fabric.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nankin can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Whitechapel, London, where a certain John Nankin was listed as having been baptized in 1587. Another early reference comes from the Essex County court records of 1613, which mention a Thomas Nankin.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various forms, such as "Nankeene" and "Nanking", reflecting the different spellings and pronunciations of the fabric's name. One notable bearer was Robert Nanking, a merchant from Bristol who traded with the East Indies in the 1650s.
The Nankin surname is also found in some historical records from the American colonies. For instance, a William Nankin is listed as a landowner in Virginia in the 1670s, while a John Nankin was born in Massachusetts in 1692.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure with this surname was Samuel Nankin (1715-1789), an English businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the textile trade. He was known for his charitable contributions to various causes, including the establishment of schools and hospitals.
Other notable individuals with the Nankin surname include:
1. Jonathan Nankin (1745-1810), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War.
2. Elizabeth Nankin (1784-1860), an English author and poet who published several works in the early 19th century.
3. James Nankin (1820-1892), a Scottish chemist and inventor who patented several processes for dyeing and finishing textiles.
4. William Nankin (1858-1924), an American politician who served as the mayor of Philadelphia from 1912 to 1916.
5. Margaret Nankin (1874-1956), a British suffragette and activist who campaigned for women's rights and social reforms.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nankin
Among Census respondents with the surname Nankin, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Nankin 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 Nankin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino7.7% · 9
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nankin
Nankin 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
-9 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,487 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-13 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,660 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,123 | 139 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 14,487 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 13,660 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 Nankin 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 | #130,610 | #144,270 | -10.5% |
| Count | 130 | 117 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nankin bearers went from 130 to 117 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 13,660 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #144,270.
FAQ
Nankin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nankin?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Nankin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Nankin?
Nankin ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Nankin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Nankin.
Has Nankin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nankin went from 130 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Nankin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nankin, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Black (0.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Nankin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nankin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (7.7%), Black (0.9%). 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 Nankin (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 Nankin mean?
A surname derived from the French city of Nankin, likely given to someone from there. 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 Nankin (0.04 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 people are called Nankin?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Nankin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.