2000
#3,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,058
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.10
Uncommon Last name
Ness
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a headland or promontory.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,691 Americans carry the last name Ness. That puts it at #3,424 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,318 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ness 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 Ness with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 29,318
Census rank
#3,424
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,195 bearers of the surname Ness in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3424th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ness, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ness
Among Census respondents with the surname Ness, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ness 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 Ness surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 9,305
- Two or more races3.3% · 334
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 308
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 103
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 80
- Black or African American0.6% · 65
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ness
Ness 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
#3,272
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,037
-21 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 3.74
Rank movement Down 272 places
2020
#3,424
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,195
-842 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 3.41
Rank movement Down 152 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,000 | 11,058 | 4.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,272 | 11,037 | 3.74 | -21 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 272 places |
| 2020 | #3,424 | 10,195 | 3.41 | -842 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 152 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 Ness 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 | #3,272 | #3,424 | -4.6% |
| Count | 11,037 | 10,195 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.74 | 3.41 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ness bearers went from 11,037 to 10,195 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 152 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,272 to #3,424.
FAQ
Ness surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ness?
Name Census estimates that about 11,691 living Americans carry the surname Ness. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,318 residents.
How common is Ness?
Ness ranks #3,424 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,195 people with the surname Ness. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,691), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Ness.
Has Ness become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ness went from 11,037 recorded bearers to 10,195. That is a decrease of 842 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,272 to #3,424.
What does the Census say about the background of Ness?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ness, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Ness in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (9,305 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ness appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Ness (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 Ness mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a headland or promontory. 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 Ness (3.41 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 common is the surname Ness?
Want to know how many people are called Ness? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.