2000
#4,710
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,880
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.55
Rare Last name
Nation
An English surname derived from the Old French word "nation," referring to someone of a particular national or ethnic origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,057 Americans carry the last name Nation. That puts it at #4,871 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,541 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nation 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 Nation with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.1K
1 in 42,541
Census rank
#4,871
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,026 bearers of the surname Nation in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4871st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nation, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.3%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nation
The surname NATION is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "nacion" which means "birth" or "race". It is believed to have been initially used as a nickname for someone who was from a foreign land or a different cultural background.
The earliest known record of the surname NATION dates back to the late 12th century in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, where a person named William Nacion was mentioned. During the Middle Ages, the surname was also found in various forms such as Nacion, Natioun, and Nacyon.
One notable historical reference to the surname NATION can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as a place name in Hertfordshire. The entry suggests that the name may have been derived from a particular location or settlement.
In the 14th century, the surname NATION appeared in several legal documents and charters, including the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1347, which mentioned a John Nacion. Around the same period, a Richard Nacion was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1332.
Among the earliest known bearers of the surname NATION was John Nation, who was born in Wiltshire, England, in the late 15th century. He was a prominent merchant and landowner, and his descendants continued to use the surname in the following centuries.
Another notable figure with the surname NATION was Sir Thomas Nation (1546-1619), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Malmesbury. He was also appointed as a Justice of the Peace for Wiltshire.
In the 17th century, the surname NATION gained recognition through the works of Robert Nation (1636-1695), an English clergyman and writer who authored several religious texts and sermons.
During the 18th century, a prominent bearer of the surname was John Nation (1715-1789), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy and participated in several battles during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War.
Another significant figure with the surname NATION was Sir Michael Nation (1786-1857), a British army officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Sierra Leone from 1838 to 1851.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nation
Among Census respondents with the surname Nation, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.3%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Nation 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 Nation surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.7% · 5,317
- Black or African American13.3% · 935
- Two or more races5.4% · 381
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 259
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 38
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nation
Nation 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
#4,940
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,125
+245 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 2.42
Rank movement Down 230 places
2020
#4,871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,026
-99 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 2.35
Rank movement Up 69 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,710 | 6,880 | 2.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,940 | 7,125 | 2.42 | +245 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 230 places |
| 2020 | #4,871 | 7,026 | 2.35 | -99 bearers (-1.4%) | Up 69 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 Nation 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 | #4,940 | #4,871 | 1.4% |
| Count | 7,125 | 7,026 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.42 | 2.35 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nation bearers went from 7,125 to 7,026 (-1.4% change). The surname moved up 69 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,940 to #4,871.
FAQ
Nation surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nation?
Name Census estimates that about 8,057 living Americans carry the surname Nation. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,541 residents.
How common is Nation?
Nation ranks #4,871 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,026 people with the surname Nation. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,057), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Nation.
Has Nation become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nation went from 7,125 recorded bearers to 7,026. That is a decrease of 99 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,940 to #4,871.
What does the Census say about the background of Nation?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nation, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.3%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Nation in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.7% (5,317 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nation appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.7%), Black (13.3%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Nation (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 Nation mean?
An English surname derived from the Old French word "nation," referring to someone of a particular national or ethnic origin. 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 Nation (2.35 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 Nation?
You can see how many people have the surname Nation on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.