Find out how popular the last name Nast is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Nast.

Nast, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Nast surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nast in America

Nast is the 27783rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nast surname appeared 865 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Nast.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nast to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Nast

The surname NAST originated in Germany and dates back to at least the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "nest," which means a nest or a dwelling place. The name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a particular nest-like settlement or on a specific plot of land.

In its earliest recorded forms, the surname appeared as Nest, Neste, or Nester in various German regions. Some of the earliest records of the name can be found in medieval documents from the Rhineland, Saxony, and Bavaria.

One of the earliest known bearers of the NAST surname was Johann Nast, a merchant who lived in the city of Nuremberg in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Martin Nast, a Protestant reformer from Saxony who lived during the 16th century.

The NAST surname also has ties to several place names in Germany, such as Nastätten in Hesse and Nastbach in Bavaria. These place names likely originated from the same root word as the surname and may have influenced its development.

As the surname spread across Germany and into neighboring regions, it evolved into various spellings, including Nast, Nascht, and Naast. Some of these variations may have been influenced by local dialects or linguistic changes over time.

In the 19th century, several individuals with the NAST surname made significant contributions in various fields. Thomas Nast (1840-1902) was a renowned American caricaturist and political cartoonist known for his iconic depictions of the Republican Party's elephant and the Democratic Party's donkey.

Another notable figure was Reverend William Nast (1807-1899), a German-American Methodist minister and author who played a crucial role in establishing the Methodist Episcopal Church in Germany.

Other notable individuals with the NAST surname include:

1. Condé Montrose Nast (1873-1942), an American publisher and businessman who founded Condé Nast Publications, which includes renowned magazines like Vogue and Vanity Fair.

2. Thomas Nast Jr. (1870-1938), an American architect and son of the famous cartoonist Thomas Nast.

3. Albert Nast (1833-1906), a German-American painter and lithographer known for his portraits and landscapes.

While the NAST surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and other countries, thanks to immigration and migration patterns over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nast

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Nast.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Nast was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Nast has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Nast was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Nast, please contact us.

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