2000
#6,637
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,700
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.74
Rare Last name
Nave
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a church or chapel, from the Middle English "nave."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,320 Americans carry the last name Nave. That puts it at #6,982 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,428 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nave 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
5.3K
1 in 64,428
Census rank
#6,982
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,639 bearers of the surname Nave in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6982nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nave, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Hispanic (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nave
The surname Nave is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "nafu" meaning "nave" or hub of a wheel. It first appeared in records during the 13th century, referring to someone who lived near the nave of a church or one who crafted naves for wheels.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mentions a Thomas de la Nave. The surname was also present in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1332, listing a Robert atte Nave.
Over time, the name evolved to take on various spellings, such as Nave, Naeve, Neave, and Neeve. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of scribes who recorded the name.
The Nave surname has ties to several place names in England, such as Nave's Nook in Yorkshire and Nave Farm in Somerset. These locations likely acquired their names from early Nave families who resided there.
One notable bearer of the Nave surname was Sir William Nave (1470-1542), a prominent English lawyer and judge during the reign of Henry VIII. He served as a Justice of the Common Pleas and is mentioned in historical records from that era.
Another figure was Richard Nave (1617-1662), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including "The Bride's Ornaments" and "The New Covenant Sealed with Sixteen Sermons."
In the 18th century, John Nave (1726-1799) was a prosperous merchant and shipowner from Bristol, England, known for his involvement in the transatlantic trade.
Moving to the 19th century, Charles Nave (1828-1901) was a renowned American Methodist minister and author, best known for his work "Nave's Topical Bible," a comprehensive reference tool for Bible study.
Lastly, Sir Arundell Neave (1885-1978) was a British diplomat and civil servant who served as the Governor of the Bahamas from 1937 to 1946 and later held the position of Deputy Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nave
Among Census respondents with the surname Nave, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Hispanic (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Nave 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 Nave surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.7% · 3,695
- Black or African American7.4% · 345
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 257
- Two or more races4.8% · 224
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 86
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nave
Nave 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
#6,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,946
+246 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.68
Rank movement Down 182 places
2020
#6,982
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,639
-307 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 163 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,637 | 4,700 | 1.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,819 | 4,946 | 1.68 | +246 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 182 places |
| 2020 | #6,982 | 4,639 | 1.55 | -307 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 163 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 Nave 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 | #6,819 | #6,982 | -2.4% |
| Count | 4,946 | 4,639 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.68 | 1.55 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nave bearers went from 4,946 to 4,639 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 163 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,819 to #6,982.
FAQ
Nave surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nave?
Name Census estimates that about 5,320 living Americans carry the surname Nave. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,428 residents.
How common is Nave?
Nave ranks #6,982 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.55 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 4,639 people with the surname Nave. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,320), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.55 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 Nave.
Has Nave become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nave went from 4,946 recorded bearers to 4,639. That is a decrease of 307 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,819 to #6,982.
What does the Census say about the background of Nave?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nave, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Hispanic (5.5%). 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 Nave in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.7% (3,695 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nave appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.7%), Black (7.4%), Hispanic (5.5%). 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 Nave (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 Nave mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a church or chapel, from the Middle English "nave." 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 Nave (1.55 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 Nave?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.