Newson last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Newson

A patronymic surname meaning "son of the new man," referring to a newcomer or stranger to a village.

Newson, 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 Newson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Newson in America

Newson is the 7128th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Newson surname appeared 4,693 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 Newson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Newson 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 7128 7159 -0.43%
Count 4,693 4,299 8.76%
Proportion per 100k 1.59 1.59 0.00%

The history of the last name Newson

The surname Newson is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "neowe" meaning "new" and "sunu" meaning "son." It likely originated in the late 12th or early 13th century as a descriptive name given to someone who was considered the "new son" or newcomer to a particular area or community.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1211, where it is listed as Newesun. Other early variations include Newsone (1275) and Newson (1327). These variations suggest that the name was initially pronounced as "New-sun" before evolving into its modern form.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are no direct references to the surname Newson, but there are mentions of places that may have contributed to its development, such as Newtown in Wiltshire and Newhall in Derbyshire.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was John Newson, who was born in Northamptonshire in 1456. He was a prominent landowner and served as a magistrate in the county. Another notable figure was Thomas Newson (1542-1617), a clergyman who served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Nottingham.

During the English Civil War (1642-1651), a Captain Newson is mentioned in historical records as serving in the Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell. Additionally, in the 18th century, a wealthy merchant named Edward Newson (1698-1774) established a successful trading company in Bristol, England.

Another significant bearer of the name was Sir Henry Newson (1820-1892), a British naval officer and explorer who served in the Royal Navy. He was instrumental in mapping and surveying various parts of the world, including the Pacific Islands and the Arctic regions.

Throughout history, the Newson surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, from clergymen and landowners to merchants and military personnel. While initially concentrated in the English counties of Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire, and Nottinghamshire, the name has since spread to other parts of the United Kingdom and beyond.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Newson

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

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 Newson was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 21.93% 1,029
Non-Hispanic Black Only 71.85% 3,372
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.28% 13
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.26% 12
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 3.22% 151
Hispanic Origin 2.47% 116

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 Newson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 21.93% 25.22% -13.96%
Black 71.85% 70.16% 2.38%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.28% 0.26% 7.41%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.26% 0.30% -14.29%
Two or More Races 3.22% 2.51% 24.78%
Hispanic 2.47% 1.56% 45.16%

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

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

Reference this page

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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!

"Newson last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 14, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/newson-surname-popularity/.

"Newson last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/newson-surname-popularity/. Accessed 14 October, 2024

Newson last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/newson-surname-popularity/.

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