2000
#6,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,238
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.94
Rare Last name
Nestor
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name or from the Greek name Nestor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,090 Americans carry the last name Nestor. That puts it at #6,181 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,282 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nestor 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 Nestor with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.1K
1 in 56,282
Census rank
#6,181
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,311 bearers of the surname Nestor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6181st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nestor, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.0%) and Black (8.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nestor
Among Census respondents with the surname Nestor, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.0%) and Black (8.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Nestor 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 Nestor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.5% · 4,115
- Hispanic or Latino11.0% · 586
- Black or African American8.0% · 424
- Two or more races2.3% · 124
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nestor
Nestor 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
#6,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,723
+485 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Up 29 places
2020
#6,181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,311
-412 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Down 173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,037 | 5,238 | 1.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,008 | 5,723 | 1.94 | +485 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 29 places |
| 2020 | #6,181 | 5,311 | 1.78 | -412 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 173 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 Nestor 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 | #6,008 | #6,181 | -2.9% |
| Count | 5,723 | 5,311 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.94 | 1.78 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nestor bearers went from 5,723 to 5,311 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 173 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,008 to #6,181.
FAQ
Nestor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nestor?
Name Census estimates that about 6,090 living Americans carry the surname Nestor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,282 residents.
How common is Nestor?
Nestor ranks #6,181 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,311 people with the surname Nestor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,090), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Nestor.
Has Nestor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nestor went from 5,723 recorded bearers to 5,311. That is a decrease of 412 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,008 to #6,181.
What does the Census say about the background of Nestor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nestor, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.0%) and Black (8.0%). 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 Nestor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.5% (4,115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nestor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.5%), Hispanic (11.0%), Black (8.0%). 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 Nestor (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 Nestor mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name or from the Greek name Nestor. 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 Nestor (1.78 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 Nestor?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Nestor on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.