2000
#2,994
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,079
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.11
Uncommon Last name
Newby
A surname referring to someone who was new to a town or village, deriving from Old English "neowe" and "by".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,678 Americans carry the last name Newby. That puts it at #3,187 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Newby 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 Newby with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 27,035
Census rank
#3,187
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,056 bearers of the surname Newby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3187th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Newby, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Newby
The surname Newby is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "niwe" meaning "new" and "by" meaning "town" or "village." The name would have been given to someone who had moved to a newly established settlement or town.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Newby can be found in various historical records from the 13th century onwards. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, there is a mention of a Richard de Neweby in Yorkshire. The Hearth Tax Rolls of 1674 also list several Newby families in various counties across England.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Newby, who was born in 1520 in Wensleydale, Yorkshire. He was a prominent landowner and businessman in the area. Another notable individual was Robert Newby (1597-1676), a Puritan clergyman and one of the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in North America.
The name Newby is also linked to several place names in England, such as Newby in Yorkshire, Newby in Cumbria, and Newby Wiske in North Yorkshire. These locations likely took their names from the Old English words "niwe" and "by" as well, indicating a new settlement or village.
In the 17th century, Sir Edward Newby (1624-1701) was a prominent English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1677. Another notable bearer of the name was John Newby (1766-1814), an English painter and engraver known for his landscapes and portraits.
Other historical figures with the surname Newby include John Newby (1808-1871), an English businessman and philanthropist who founded the Newby Trust for the benefit of the poor in his hometown of Ripon, Yorkshire. William Newby (1825-1898) was a British engineer and inventor who contributed to the development of the early bicycles and tricycles.
The surname Newby has been present throughout English history, with its origins rooted in the establishment of new towns and villages during the medieval period. It has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including landowners, clergymen, merchants, artists, and inventors, leaving its mark on the cultural and historical landscape of England and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Newby
Among Census respondents with the surname Newby, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Newby 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 Newby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.0% · 7,405
- Black or African American23.4% · 2,586
- Two or more races5.0% · 555
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 346
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 82
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 82
Timeline
Historical Census data for Newby
Newby 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
#3,148
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,483
+404 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 3.89
Rank movement Down 154 places
2020
#3,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,056
-427 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 3.70
Rank movement Down 39 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,994 | 11,079 | 4.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,148 | 11,483 | 3.89 | +404 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 154 places |
| 2020 | #3,187 | 11,056 | 3.70 | -427 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 39 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 Newby 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 | #3,148 | #3,187 | -1.2% |
| Count | 11,483 | 11,056 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.89 | 3.70 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Newby bearers went from 11,483 to 11,056 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 39 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,148 to #3,187.
FAQ
Newby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Newby?
Name Census estimates that about 12,678 living Americans carry the surname Newby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,035 residents.
How common is Newby?
Newby ranks #3,187 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,056 people with the surname Newby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,678), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Newby.
Has Newby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Newby went from 11,483 recorded bearers to 11,056. That is a decrease of 427 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,148 to #3,187.
What does the Census say about the background of Newby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Newby, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Newby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.0% (7,405 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Newby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.0%), Black (23.4%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Newby (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 Newby mean?
A surname referring to someone who was new to a town or village, deriving from Old English "neowe" and "by". 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 Newby (3.70 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 Newby?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Newby is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.