2000
#2,088
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,930
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.91
Uncommon Last name
Naylor
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of nails.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,324 Americans carry the last name Naylor. That puts it at #2,219 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,705 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Naylor 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 Naylor with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 18,705
Census rank
#2,219
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,979 bearers of the surname Naylor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2219th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Naylor, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Naylor
The surname Naylor originated in England and is derived from the Old English words 'nearu' meaning narrow and 'fealu' meaning fallow land, referring to a person who lived or worked near a narrow piece of fallow land. It is an occupational surname that initially described someone's livelihood or place of residence.
The earliest recorded reference to the surname Naylor dates back to the 13th century, with mentions in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273 and the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1275. These early records provide evidence that the name was in use during the medieval period.
One of the earliest known individuals bearing the surname Naylor was William Naylor, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301. Another early record is that of John Naylor, who was mentioned in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379.
In the 16th century, there are records of the Naylor family in various parts of England, including Lancashire and Derbyshire. One notable individual from this era was Edmund Naylor, a clergyman born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, in 1565.
During the 17th century, the surname Naylor became more widespread, with several prominent individuals bearing the name. One of the most notable was James Naylor, a Quaker leader born in Ardsley, Yorkshire, in 1616. He was a controversial figure who was convicted of blasphemy and punished severely for his beliefs.
Another significant figure was Samuel Naylor, a puritan minister born in Woodhouse, Yorkshire, in 1629. He was a prolific writer and published several religious works during his lifetime.
In the 18th century, the surname Naylor continued to be found across various parts of England, with several notable individuals emerging. One such person was John Naylor, a mathematician and astronomer born in Wigan, Lancashire, in 1713. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and published several works on the subject.
The 19th century saw the Naylor surname spread further, with individuals bearing the name found in various professions and areas of society. One notable example was Charles Naylor, a politician and businessman born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, in 1818. He served as a Member of Parliament for the Wakefield constituency and was involved in various business ventures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Naylor
Among Census respondents with the surname Naylor, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Naylor 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 Naylor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.2% · 12,660
- Black or African American12.2% · 1,943
- Two or more races3.9% · 626
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 558
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 106
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 86
Timeline
Historical Census data for Naylor
Naylor 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
#2,169
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,745
+815 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 5.68
Rank movement Down 81 places
2020
#2,219
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,979
-766 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 5.35
Rank movement Down 50 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,088 | 15,930 | 5.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,169 | 16,745 | 5.68 | +815 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 81 places |
| 2020 | #2,219 | 15,979 | 5.35 | -766 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 50 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 Naylor 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 | #2,169 | #2,219 | -2.3% |
| Count | 16,745 | 15,979 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 5.68 | 5.35 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Naylor bearers went from 16,745 to 15,979 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 50 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,169 to #2,219.
FAQ
Naylor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Naylor?
Name Census estimates that about 18,324 living Americans carry the surname Naylor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,705 residents.
How common is Naylor?
Naylor ranks #2,219 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,979 people with the surname Naylor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,324), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Naylor.
Has Naylor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Naylor went from 16,745 recorded bearers to 15,979. That is a decrease of 766 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,169 to #2,219.
What does the Census say about the background of Naylor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Naylor, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Naylor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.2% (12,660 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Naylor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.2%), Black (12.2%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Naylor (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 Naylor mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of nails. 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 Naylor (5.35 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 have the last name Naylor?
See how many people have the last name Naylor on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.