Find out how popular the last name Ness is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ness.

Ness, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ness surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ness in America

Ness is the 3272nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ness surname appeared 11,037 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Ness.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ness to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ness

The surname NESS is of Scottish origin, derived from the Old English word "ness," meaning a headland or promontory. It dates back to the 12th century and was originally a locational name given to someone who lived near a prominent headland or coastal area.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Scottish records and charters. One notable example is William de Ness, who was mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence.

In some cases, the name NESS may have originated from specific place names, such as Ness, a village in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, or Inverness, the historic city in the Scottish Highlands. The latter is derived from the Gaelic "Inbhir Nis," meaning "mouth of the River Ness."

Over time, various spellings of the name emerged, including Nesse, Nesse, and Nis. These variations reflect regional dialects and the inconsistencies of early record-keeping.

One notable figure in history with the surname NESS was Christopher Ness (1621-1705), a Scottish Presbyterian minister and author of the influential work "An Antidote Against Arminianism." Another was James Ness (1662-1728), a Scottish mathematician and philosopher who served as the Regius Professor of Mathematics at the University of Edinburgh.

In the literary world, Patrick Ness (born 1971) is a renowned British author and journalist best known for his award-winning young adult novels, including the Chaos Walking trilogy and "A Monster Calls."

In the realm of sports, Peter Ness (1942-2013) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a defender for several clubs, including Hibernian and Dunfermline Athletic.

Lastly, Elliot Ness (1903-1957) was an American Prohibition agent who led the famous team known as "The Untouchables" in their efforts to bring down Al Capone's criminal organization in Chicago during the 1920s and 1930s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ness

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ness.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ness was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ness has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ness was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ness, please contact us.

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