2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nible
A surname potentially derived from the Old English word "neb" meaning nose or beak.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Nible. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nible 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Nible in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nible, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nible
The surname NIBLE is believed to have originated in the medieval English county of Derbyshire, dating back to the late 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "nigol" and "bile," which together referred to a small or nipping hill, possibly describing the geographic location where the earliest bearers of the name resided.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the NIBLE name can be found in the Derbyshire Feet of Fines from 1199, which documents a land transaction involving a "Radulfus Nygelbile." This ancient record provides evidence of the name's early spelling variations, which included "Nygelbile" and "Nigelbylle."
During the 13th century, the NIBLE surname began to appear in various manorial records and tax rolls across the East Midlands region of England. Notably, a "Johannes Nybyll" is listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Staffordshire in 1327, indicating the name's spread beyond its presumed place of origin.
The NIBLE name can also be found in several early English place names, such as Niblebrook in Staffordshire and Nibletts Field in Warwickshire, further suggesting the surname's connection to geographic features.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the NIBLE surname. In the 15th century, a prominent figure named William NIBLE served as the Mayor of Coventry in 1467. Records from the 16th century mention a Thomas NIBLE, born in 1532, who was a respected scholar and author of theological works.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a Captain John NIBLE fought alongside the Parliamentary forces and was commended for his bravery at the Battle of Naseby in 1645. Later, in the 18th century, a wealthy merchant named Robert NIBLE (1712-1789) established a successful trading company in London, contributing to the city's economic growth.
One of the most renowned individuals with the NIBLE surname was Sir Edward NIBLE (1823-1901), a distinguished British diplomat and statesman who served as the Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in the latter half of the 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nible
Among Census respondents with the surname Nible, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Nible 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 Nible surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.6% · 97
- Two or more races12.9% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nible
Nible 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-16 bearers (-13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 25,288 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+11 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,879 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-13.2%) | Down 25,288 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 9,879 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 Nible 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 | #154,907 | #145,028 | 6.4% |
| Count | 105 | 116 | 10.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nible bearers went from 105 to 116 (+10.5% change). The surname moved up 9,879 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #145,028.
FAQ
Nible surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nible?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Nible. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Nible?
Nible ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Nible. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Nible.
Has Nible become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nible went from 105 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 11 (+10.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Nible?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nible, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%). 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 Nible in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.6% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nible appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.6%), Two or More Races (12.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%). 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 Nible (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 Nible mean?
A surname potentially derived from the Old English word "neb" meaning nose or beak. 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 Nible (0.04 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 surname Nible?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.