2000
#1,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,726
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.94
Uncommon Last name
Napier
A locational surname referring to someone from Napier, Scotland, likely derived from the Old English "naep" meaning turnip.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,255 Americans carry the last name Napier. That puts it at #1,902 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,126 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Napier 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Napier with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,126
Census rank
#1,902
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,535 bearers of the surname Napier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1902nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Napier, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Napier
The surname Napier originated in Scotland during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English words "naeppierre" or "naepere," meaning a cup-bearer or butler. The name first appeared in records from the 12th century in the regions of Fife and Perthshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls rendered to Edward I of England. The name is listed as "Johannes le Napier," indicating its use as a surname during this period.
The Napier family rose to prominence in the 13th century, with their ancestral lands located in the parish of Kilmadock, near the town of Dunblane in Perthshire. Sir Alexander Napier (c. 1280-1347) was a notable figure who served as the Constable of Edinburgh Castle during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
The name is also associated with the historic Merchiston Tower in Edinburgh, which was owned by the Napier family in the 15th century. John Napier (1550-1617), a renowned Scottish mathematician and inventor, was born at Merchiston Tower and is celebrated for his contributions to the development of logarithms and other mathematical advancements.
Another prominent figure with the Napier surname was Sir Charles James Napier (1782-1853), a British military officer who played a significant role in the Conquest of Sindh in British India. His campaigns and victories earned him the nickname "Conqueror of Sindh."
In the literary world, Mark Napier (1798-1879) was a Scottish lawyer and author who wrote extensively on the history and biographies of Scottish figures, including the life of John Napier, the inventor of logarithms.
The name Napier has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Napier House in Edinburgh, a historic building that once housed the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. Additionally, the town of Napier in New Zealand was named after Sir Charles Napier, the British military officer.
Throughout history, the Napier surname has been spelled in various ways, including Naper, Naiper, and Nayper, reflecting regional variations and linguistic influences. However, the current spelling of "Napier" became the standard form in the 16th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Napier
Among Census respondents with the surname Napier, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Napier 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 Napier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.6% · 14,943
- Black or African American11.5% · 2,126
- Two or more races4.1% · 763
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 509
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 110
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 84
Timeline
Historical Census data for Napier
Napier 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
#1,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,182
+456 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 6.50
Rank movement Down 117 places
2020
#1,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,535
-647 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 6.20
Rank movement Down 30 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,755 | 18,726 | 6.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,872 | 19,182 | 6.50 | +456 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 117 places |
| 2020 | #1,902 | 18,535 | 6.20 | -647 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 30 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 Napier 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 | #1,872 | #1,902 | -1.6% |
| Count | 19,182 | 18,535 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 6.50 | 6.20 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Napier bearers went from 19,182 to 18,535 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 30 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,872 to #1,902.
FAQ
Napier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Napier?
Name Census estimates that about 21,255 living Americans carry the surname Napier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,126 residents.
How common is Napier?
Napier ranks #1,902 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,535 people with the surname Napier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,255), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Napier.
Has Napier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Napier went from 19,182 recorded bearers to 18,535. That is a decrease of 647 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,872 to #1,902.
What does the Census say about the background of Napier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Napier, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Napier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.6% (14,943 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Napier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.6%), Black (11.5%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Napier (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 Napier mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Napier, Scotland, likely derived from the Old English "naep" meaning turnip. 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 Napier (6.20 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 have the last name Napier?
You can see how many people have the last name Napier on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.