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

Nessmith, 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 Nessmith surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nessmith in America

Nessmith is the 49723rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nessmith surname appeared 422 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Nessmith.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nessmith 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 Nessmith

The surname Nessmith is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a variant or anglicized form of the Old Norse name "Næssmithr," which means "nose smith" or "maker of nose pieces for helmets." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname for a skilled metalworker or blacksmith who specialized in crafting helmets and armor.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Nessmith can be traced back to the late 13th century in various medieval records and documents from the counties of Lincolnshire and Norfolk in eastern England. In these early records, the name appeared in various spellings, such as "Nessmithe," "Nessmyth," and "Nesmythe," reflecting the inconsistencies in spelling and pronunciation during that era.

One notable historical reference to the name Nessmith can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1327, which lists a "Johannes Nessmithe" as a taxpayer in the village of Spalding. This suggests that the Nessmith family had established themselves in the region by the early 14th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name began to spread to other parts of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire. One prominent individual bearing the name was Sir Thomas Nessmith (1556-1631), a wealthy landowner and member of the gentry in Nottinghamshire. He was known for his involvement in local politics and served as a Justice of the Peace.

Another notable figure was William Nessmith (1671-1746), a renowned clockmaker and inventor from Yorkshire. He is credited with several innovations in clock design and is considered one of the pioneers of the English clockmaking industry during the early 18th century.

In the late 18th century, the name Nessmith began to appear in records from North America, indicating that some members of the family had immigrated to the New World. One early example is John Nessmith (1755-1832), a British-born farmer who settled in Virginia and later migrated to Ohio, where he became one of the first settlers in the area now known as Nessmithville.

During the 19th century, the Nessmith surname continued to spread across various regions of North America, with notable individuals such as Samuel Nessmith (1812-1895), a prominent lawyer and politician in Tennessee, and Mary Nessmith (1833-1911), a renowned educator and advocate for women's education in Georgia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nessmith

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

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 Nessmith 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 Nessmith 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 Nessmith was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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