2000
#10,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,676
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Nau
A French occupational surname derived from Old French "nau," meaning "boat" or "ship," likely referring to a shipbuilder or sailor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,445 Americans carry the last name Nau. That puts it at #10,212 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 99,493 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nau 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
3.4K
1 in 99,493
Census rank
#10,212
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,004 bearers of the surname Nau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10212th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nau, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.2%) and Black (7.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nau
The surname NAU originated in Germany during the Middle Ages, likely derived from the Old German word "nau," which means "narrow" or "tight." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a narrow valley or a constricted area.
NAU is recorded in various medieval documents, including the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of charters and legal documents from the region of Saxony dating back to the 10th century. This early mention indicates that the name was already established by that time.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname NAU was Johann Nau, a scholar and theologian born in Meiningen, Germany, around 1480. He studied at the University of Erfurt and later became a professor of theology and rector at the same institution.
In the 16th century, the name NAU appeared in records from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria. Among the notable individuals from this period was Hans Nau, a successful merchant and alderman who lived in the mid-1500s.
The surname NAU also has a connection to the Domesday Book, a record of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. While the name itself does not appear in the Domesday Book, there are references to places with similar-sounding names, such as "Nau" and "Nauenby," which may have been derived from the same Old German root.
In the 17th century, Johann Nau, a German composer and organist, gained recognition for his contributions to sacred music. Born in Esslingen am Neckar in 1637, he served as the organist at the Collegiate Church in Stuttgart and composed numerous works for organ and choir.
Another notable individual with the surname NAU was Johann August Nau, a German theologian and philosopher born in Halle in 1710. He studied at the University of Halle and later became a professor of philosophy and theology at the same institution.
In the 19th century, the name NAU was associated with Friedrich Nau, a German philologist and Orientalist born in Giessen in 1858. He made significant contributions to the study of Syriac literature and published numerous works on the subject.
The surname NAU has also been connected to place names in various regions, such as Nau-Richt in Saxony, Germany, and Nau in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland. These place names may have influenced the spread and distribution of the surname over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nau
Among Census respondents with the surname Nau, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.2%) and Black (7.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Nau 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 Nau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.7% · 2,213
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.2% · 275
- Black or African American7.9% · 238
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 144
- Two or more races4.4% · 131
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nau
Nau 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
#10,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,020
+344 bearers (+12.9%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Up 309 places
2020
#10,212
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,004
-16 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Up 391 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,912 | 2,676 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,603 | 3,020 | 1.02 | +344 bearers (+12.9%) | Up 309 places |
| 2020 | #10,212 | 3,004 | 1.01 | -16 bearers (-0.5%) | Up 391 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 Nau 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 | #10,603 | #10,212 | 3.7% |
| Count | 3,020 | 3,004 | -0.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 1.01 | -1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nau bearers went from 3,020 to 3,004 (-0.5% change). The surname moved up 391 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,603 to #10,212.
FAQ
Nau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nau?
Name Census estimates that about 3,445 living Americans carry the surname Nau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 99,493 residents.
How common is Nau?
Nau ranks #10,212 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.01 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 3,004 people with the surname Nau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,445), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.01 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 Nau.
Has Nau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nau went from 3,020 recorded bearers to 3,004. That is a decrease of 16 (-0.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,603 to #10,212.
What does the Census say about the background of Nau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nau, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.2%) and Black (7.9%). 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 Nau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.7% (2,213 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (9.2%), Black (7.9%). 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 Nau (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 Nau mean?
A French occupational surname derived from Old French "nau," meaning "boat" or "ship," likely referring to a shipbuilder or sailor. 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 Nau (1.01 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 Nau?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.