2000
#4,978
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,477
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.40
Rare Last name
Nelms
Derived from a place name meaning "at the elms" in Old English, referring to someone living near elm trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,927 Americans carry the last name Nelms. That puts it at #4,939 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,239 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nelms 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 Nelms with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.9K
1 in 43,239
Census rank
#4,939
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,913 bearers of the surname Nelms in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4939th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nelms, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nelms
The surname Nelms is believed to have originated in England, likely in the Middle Ages. It is thought to be a variant of the surname Nelme or Nelm, which derived from the Old English word "nelm," meaning "cloud" or "mist." This suggests that the name may have been a descriptive nickname given to someone who lived in a misty or cloudy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nelms can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, where a William Nelme is listed. The surname also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, indicating its presence in different regions of England during this time period.
In the 14th century, the name Nelms was sometimes spelled as Nelme or Nelm, reflecting its origins. For example, in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1380, a John Nelme is mentioned.
The surname Nelms has also been associated with various place names, such as Nelmeswell in Sussex, which was recorded in the 13th century as "Nelmesmelle." This suggests that some individuals with the surname may have taken their name from the place where they lived or originated.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Nelms. One example is Thomas Nelms (c. 1580-1640), an English clergyman who served as the Rector of Waltham St. Lawrence in Berkshire. Another is William Nelms (1667-1735), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the early 18th century.
In the 19th century, John Nelms (1817-1887) was an English businessman and philanthropist who founded the Nelms Institute in Burnley, Lancashire, which provided educational opportunities for working-class individuals. Edward Nelms (1857-1933) was a prominent British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Nelms Building on Holborn Viaduct.
Another noteworthy individual was Mary Nelms (1891-1977), an American writer and journalist who authored several books on Southern culture and history. She was also a contributor to various publications, including the Saturday Evening Post and the Atlanta Constitution.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nelms
Among Census respondents with the surname Nelms, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Nelms 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 Nelms surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.8% · 4,895
- Black or African American20.3% · 1,400
- Two or more races4.3% · 297
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 255
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nelms
Nelms 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
#4,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,303
+826 bearers (+12.8%)
Per 100,000 2.48
Rank movement Up 145 places
2020
#4,939
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,913
-390 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 2.31
Rank movement Down 106 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,978 | 6,477 | 2.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,833 | 7,303 | 2.48 | +826 bearers (+12.8%) | Up 145 places |
| 2020 | #4,939 | 6,913 | 2.31 | -390 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 106 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 Nelms 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 | #4,833 | #4,939 | -2.2% |
| Count | 7,303 | 6,913 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.48 | 2.31 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nelms bearers went from 7,303 to 6,913 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 106 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,833 to #4,939.
FAQ
Nelms surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nelms?
Name Census estimates that about 7,927 living Americans carry the surname Nelms. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,239 residents.
How common is Nelms?
Nelms ranks #4,939 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.31 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 6,913 people with the surname Nelms. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,927), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.31 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 Nelms.
Has Nelms become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nelms went from 7,303 recorded bearers to 6,913. That is a decrease of 390 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,833 to #4,939.
What does the Census say about the background of Nelms?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nelms, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Nelms in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.8% (4,895 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nelms appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.8%), Black (20.3%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Nelms (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 Nelms mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "at the elms" in Old English, referring to someone living near elm trees. 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 Nelms (2.31 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 Nelms?
Find out how many people have the surname Nelms on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.