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

Nevin, 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 Nevin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nevin in America

Nevin is the 10391st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nevin surname appeared 3,101 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Nevin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nevin 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 Nevin

The surname NEVIN is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name Naomhán, meaning "little saint" or "holy one." This name was first recorded in the 12th century and was commonly found in the Ayrshire region of western Scotland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented Scottish landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Nevyn" in this historical record.

During the Middle Ages, the name was also associated with the village of Nevyn or Nevyn-de-Cree in Wigtownshire, Scotland. This place name likely contributed to the surname's evolution and its various spellings, such as Nevin, Nevyn, Neving, and Niven.

In the 16th century, the surname NEVIN appeared in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which recorded government transactions. One notable person mentioned in these rolls was John Nevin, a landowner from Ayrshire, who lived during this time period.

Throughout history, several individuals with the surname NEVIN have achieved notable accomplishments. One example is Paul Nevin (1597-1683), a Scottish minister and theologian who played a significant role in the Church of Scotland during the 17th century.

Another prominent figure was John Williamson Nevin (1803-1886), an American theologian and educator who served as the president of Franklin and Marshall College in Pennsylvania. He was a influential figure in the German Reformed Church and wrote extensively on theology and philosophy.

In the literary world, John Nevin Duffield (1857-1944) was a renowned Scottish-American poet and author, best known for his works that celebrated the beauty of nature and Scottish heritage.

The surname NEVIN has also been associated with notable figures in the arts. One example is John Stevenson Nevin (1808-1891), a Scottish painter and engraver who specialized in portraiture and genre scenes.

Furthermore, the surname has been carried by individuals in various fields, such as John Nevin Sayre (1892-1972), an American diplomat and ambassador to several countries, including Brazil and Portugal.

While the surname NEVIN has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread across the globe, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in various domains throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nevin

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Nevin, 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!