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

Nightengale, 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 Nightengale surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nightengale in America

Nightengale is the 46219th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nightengale surname appeared 461 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Nightengale.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nightengale 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.

The history of the last name Nightengale

The surname Nightengale is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "niht" meaning night and "galan" meaning to sing. It emerged during the medieval period, likely as a nickname for someone who was known for singing at night, or perhaps as a descriptive name for a night watchman.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Rotuli Hundredorum, a census-like record of landowners in England compiled in 1273, where a Walter Nightengale is listed in Cambridgeshire. The name also appears in various other medieval records throughout England, such as the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 which mention a John Nightyngale in Worcestershire.

The Nightengale surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. In the late 14th century, a Richard Nightengale was a prominent merchant and member of the Guild of Pepperers in London. During the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century, a Sir Robert Nightengale fought for the Yorkist cause and was knighted for his service.

In the 16th century, a Thomas Nightengale (c.1490-1550) was a renowned printer and publisher based in London, responsible for producing several notable works including the first English edition of Sir Thomas More's "Utopia" in 1551. Another notable figure was the Puritan clergyman Robert Nightengale (1572-1645), who served as the vicar of Cheshunt in Hertfordshire and was known for his religious writings.

In more recent centuries, the Nightengale surname has been borne by several esteemed individuals, such as the British novelist Florence Nightengale (1820-1910), best known for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War. Another prominent figure was the British ornithologist and naturalist Thomas Henry Nightengale (1815-1890), who made significant contributions to the study of bird migration and behavior.

The surname Nightengale has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Nightengale Valley in Gloucestershire and Nightengale Farm in Kent, further reinforcing its longstanding presence in the country's history and geography.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nightengale

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

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 Nightengale was:

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

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

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

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