2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Nesbett
An English locational surname referring to someone from a location called Nesbitt or Nesbeth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Nesbett. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nesbett 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 Nesbett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Nesbett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nesbett, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nesbett
The surname Nesbett has its origins in the northern English counties of Northumberland and Durham. It is an ancient name that dates back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Old English phrase 'nether bitt', which means 'lower or lesser estate'. This suggests that the original bearer of the name lived on a smaller or less important piece of land.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Northumberland in 1195, where it appears as 'Nesebyt'. Other early spellings include 'Nesbit' and 'Nesbitt'. The name is also found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Durham in 1273, which lists a William Nesbyt.
In the 14th century, the Nesbett family held lands in Northumberland and were influential in the region. The name is mentioned in the Bain's Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland, which references a Thomas de Nesbyt in 1347.
One of the earliest notable bearers of the name was Sir Thomas Nesbitt (c. 1430 - 1491), a Scottish knight and landowner in Berwickshire. He was a supporter of King James III of Scotland and fought in the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488.
Another early bearer of the name was Sir John Nesbit (c. 1540 - 1615), a Scottish landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Berwickshire in the early 17th century.
In the 17th century, the Nesbitt family held lands in County Armagh, Ireland. One notable member was Sir Thomas Nesbitt (1654 - 1711), an Irish politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Armagh.
Robert Nesbitt (1668 - 1761) was an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of comets and celestial mechanics.
During the 18th century, the Nesbitt family was influential in the West Indies, where they owned several plantations. One notable member was Archibald Nesbitt (1758 - 1823), a Scottish-born plantation owner in Jamaica.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nesbett
Among Census respondents with the surname Nesbett, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Nesbett 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 Nesbett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 94
- Black or African American5.6% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.7% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nesbett
Nesbett 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-16 bearers (-12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 23,756 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-3 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,244 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.7%) | Down 23,756 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 2,244 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 Nesbett 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 | #149,395 | #151,639 | -1.5% |
| Count | 110 | 107 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nesbett bearers went from 110 to 107 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 2,244 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #151,639.
FAQ
Nesbett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nesbett?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Nesbett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Nesbett?
Nesbett ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Nesbett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Nesbett.
Has Nesbett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nesbett went from 110 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Nesbett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nesbett, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%). 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 Nesbett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nesbett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Black (5.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%). 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 Nesbett (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 Nesbett mean?
An English locational surname referring to someone from a location called Nesbitt or Nesbeth. 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 Nesbett (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 Nesbett?
Want to know how many people have the surname Nesbett? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.