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

Nestor, 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 Nestor surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nestor in America

Nestor is the 6008th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nestor surname appeared 5,723 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Nestor.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nestor 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 Nestor

The surname Nestor originated in Greece during ancient times. It is derived from the Greek name Nestor, which was derived from the Greek word "nestoros" meaning "homecoming" or "returning home". The name likely originated in reference to men who had returned home from war or travel.

One of the earliest known references to the surname Nestor is in Homer's Iliad, where the character Nestor was a wise and revered elder king of Pylos. His name has since been associated with wisdom, experience and counsel. The name was also found in ancient Greek inscriptions and manuscripts dating back to the 5th century BC.

In the Middle Ages, the surname Nestor was found in various regions of Greece, particularly in the Peloponnese region. It was also present in areas of Southern Italy and Sicily, which had strong Greek cultural influences during the Byzantine Empire.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Nestor was a Greek scholar and philosopher named Nestor of Laranda, who lived in the 2nd century AD. He was known for his works on Platonic philosophy and his teachings at the academy in Athens.

Another notable figure was Nestor the Chronicler, a Russian monk and chronicler who lived in the 12th century. He is known for writing one of the earliest and most important chronicles of Kievan Rus', the Primary Chronicle, which documented the history of the Slavic peoples.

In the 14th century, a Greek nobleman named Nestor Isidore was a prominent figure in the court of the Byzantine Empire. He served as a diplomat and ambassador, and played a role in the negotiations between the Byzantine and Latin churches during the Council of Ferrara-Florence.

During the Renaissance, a Greek scholar and humanist named Nestor Dionysios was known for his contributions to the study of ancient Greek literature. He lived in the 15th century and was part of the intellectual circles in Italy during the Renaissance period.

In more recent times, a Greek politician and diplomat named Nestor Kavvadias, who lived from 1904 to 1979, served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Greece and played a significant role in the country's international relations during the post-World War II era.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nestor

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!