2000
#15,731
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,704
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.63
Rare Last name
Newbill
An early surname bestowed upon a newcomer or immigrant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,908 Americans carry the last name Newbill. That puts it at #16,706 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 179,641 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Newbill 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.
Bearers in the US
1.9K
1 in 179,641
Census rank
#16,706
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,664 bearers of the surname Newbill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16706th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Newbill, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.7%. The next largest groups are Black (40.9%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Newbill
The surname Newbill has its origins in England, tracing back to the early 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "niwe" meaning new, and "bil" meaning a hill or a promontory. The name likely referred to someone who lived on or near a newly established settlement on a hill or elevated land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Newbill can be found in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1327, where it is spelled "Newebyll". This legal document recorded the transfer of land ownership and property transactions, indicating that the name was already in use during that time.
The name Newbill has also been found in various historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls for Lancashire in 1332, where it appears as "Newebill". These records were used for taxation purposes and provide valuable insights into the distribution and prevalence of surnames during that period.
In the 15th century, the name is mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a certain John Newbill is listed as a tenant in 1458. These manorial records offer a glimpse into the daily lives and activities of individuals bearing the surname.
One notable figure bearing the name Newbill was Sir John Newbill, a member of the English gentry who lived in the late 16th century. He was born in 1554 and served as a Member of Parliament for Grantham in 1586 and 1589.
Another individual of note was William Newbill, a renowned scholar and theologian who lived in the 17th century. Born in 1617, he was a fellow of St. John's College, Oxford, and authored several works on religious subjects.
In the 18th century, the name Newbill can be found in various parish records, such as those from the village of Lytham in Lancashire. One notable entry is the baptism of Elizabeth Newbill, daughter of Thomas and Mary Newbill, in 1752.
The name Newbill has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Newbill Farm in Staffordshire and Newbill Grange in Yorkshire. These locations may have derived their names from early settlers or landowners bearing the surname.
Over the centuries, the surname Newbill has undergone various spelling variations, including Newbill, Newbyll, Newebyll, and Newebill, reflecting the inconsistencies in record-keeping and regional dialects of the time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Newbill
Among Census respondents with the surname Newbill, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.7%. The next largest groups are Black (40.9%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Newbill 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 Newbill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.7% · 810
- Black or African American40.9% · 681
- Two or more races5.9% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Newbill
Newbill 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
#16,624
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,725
+21 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Down 893 places
2020
#16,706
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,664
-61 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.56
Rank movement Down 82 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,731 | 1,704 | 0.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,624 | 1,725 | 0.58 | +21 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 893 places |
| 2020 | #16,706 | 1,664 | 0.56 | -61 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 82 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 Newbill 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 | #16,624 | #16,706 | -0.5% |
| Count | 1,725 | 1,664 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.58 | 0.56 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Newbill bearers went from 1,725 to 1,664 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 82 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,624 to #16,706.
FAQ
Newbill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Newbill?
Name Census estimates that about 1,908 living Americans carry the surname Newbill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 179,641 residents.
How common is Newbill?
Newbill ranks #16,706 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,664 people with the surname Newbill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,908), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Newbill.
Has Newbill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Newbill went from 1,725 recorded bearers to 1,664. That is a decrease of 61 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #16,624 to #16,706.
What does the Census say about the background of Newbill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Newbill, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.7%. The next largest groups are Black (40.9%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Newbill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.7% (810 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Newbill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (48.7%), Black (40.9%), Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Newbill (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 Newbill mean?
An early surname bestowed upon a newcomer or immigrant. 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 Newbill (0.56 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 Newbill?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Newbill, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.