2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nauls
An Americanized spelling of an English surname derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Nauls. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nauls 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Nauls in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nauls, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nauls
The surname Nauls is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English words "nafu" meaning "nave" or "hub of a wheel," and "hyll" meaning "hill." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a hill with a prominent nave or hub, possibly associated with a mill or other industry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Nauehill." This entry indicates that individuals bearing this surname were present in England shortly after the Norman Conquest. Over time, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Navill, Navehill, and Navelhull, before settling into its modern form of Nauls.
In the 13th century, records show a John de Nauehill residing in Oxfordshire. This early reference provides insight into the geographical origins of the name and its association with a specific location. Another notable figure was Sir William Nauls, a knight who served during the reign of Edward III in the 14th century.
The Nauls surname has also been linked to several place names in England, such as Navely in Derbyshire and Navestock in Essex. These connections suggest that the name may have originated from individuals who hailed from or were associated with these locations.
Among the more prominent individuals bearing the Nauls surname throughout history are:
1. Edward Nauls (1563-1632), an English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London.
2. Richard Nauls (1687-1761), a renowned clockmaker from Bristol, known for his intricate and highly accurate timepieces.
3. Mary Nauls (1745-1823), a prominent figure in the early feminist movement and advocate for women's education in Britain.
4. John Nauls (1812-1884), a British explorer and naturalist who documented numerous species during his expeditions to South America.
5. William Nauls (1867-1943), a renowned architect responsible for the design of several iconic buildings in London, including the Old Bailey courthouse.
While the Nauls surname may have started as a locational reference or occupational descriptor, it has since become a well-established family name with a rich history spanning centuries in England and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nauls
Among Census respondents with the surname Nauls, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Nauls 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 Nauls surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American89.7% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 7
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- White1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nauls
Nauls 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
#121,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
+30 bearers (+26.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 16,226 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-26 bearers (-18.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 23,438 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #121,590 | 142 | 0.05 | +30 bearers (+26.8%) | Up 16,226 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -26 bearers (-18.3%) | Down 23,438 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 Nauls 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 | #121,590 | #145,028 | -19.3% |
| Count | 142 | 116 | -18.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nauls bearers went from 142 to 116 (-18.3% change). The surname moved down 23,438 positions in the national ranking, going from #121,590 to #145,028.
FAQ
Nauls surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nauls?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Nauls. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Nauls?
Nauls ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Nauls. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Nauls.
Has Nauls become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nauls went from 142 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 26 (-18.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #121,590 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Nauls?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nauls, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Nauls in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nauls appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (89.7%), Hispanic (6.0%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Nauls (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 Nauls mean?
An Americanized spelling of an English surname derived from a place name. 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 Nauls (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 have the last name Nauls?
Find out how many people have the surname Nauls on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.