2000
#7,159
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,299
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.59
Rare Last name
Newson
A patronymic surname meaning "son of the new man," referring to a newcomer or stranger to a village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,997 Americans carry the last name Newson. That puts it at #7,377 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,592 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Newson 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 Newson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 68,592
Census rank
#7,377
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,358 bearers of the surname Newson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7377th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Newson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 72.7%. The next largest groups are White (18.6%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Newson
Among Census respondents with the surname Newson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 72.7%. The next largest groups are White (18.6%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Newson 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 Newson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American72.7% · 3,169
- White18.6% · 809
- Two or more races5.2% · 226
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 134
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Newson
Newson 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
#7,128
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,693
+394 bearers (+9.2%)
Per 100,000 1.59
Rank movement Up 31 places
2020
#7,377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,358
-335 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Down 249 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,159 | 4,299 | 1.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,128 | 4,693 | 1.59 | +394 bearers (+9.2%) | Up 31 places |
| 2020 | #7,377 | 4,358 | 1.46 | -335 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 249 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 Newson 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 | #7,128 | #7,377 | -3.5% |
| Count | 4,693 | 4,358 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.59 | 1.46 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Newson bearers went from 4,693 to 4,358 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 249 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,128 to #7,377.
FAQ
Newson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Newson?
Name Census estimates that about 4,997 living Americans carry the surname Newson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,592 residents.
How common is Newson?
Newson ranks #7,377 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.46 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 4,358 people with the surname Newson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,997), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.46 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 Newson.
Has Newson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Newson went from 4,693 recorded bearers to 4,358. That is a decrease of 335 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,128 to #7,377.
What does the Census say about the background of Newson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Newson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 72.7%. The next largest groups are White (18.6%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Newson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.7% (3,169 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Newson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (72.7%), White (18.6%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Newson (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 Newson mean?
A patronymic surname meaning "son of the new man," referring to a newcomer or stranger to a village. 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 Newson (1.46 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 share the surname Newson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.