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

Nightingale, 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 Nightingale surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nightingale in America

Nightingale is the 7255th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nightingale surname appeared 4,596 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 Nightingale.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nightingale 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 Nightingale

The surname Nightingale has its origins in England, being derived from the Old English word "nihtegale" which literally means "night songstress" or "night singer." This refers to the nightingale bird, renowned for its melodious nocturnal song. The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone with a sweet singing voice or as a locational name for someone living near a place where nightingales were prevalent.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Nightingale can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Nicholaa Nitegala" in the county of Huntingdonshire. The surname is also documented in various medieval records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Leicestershire from 1199, which mention a "Willelmus Nightegale."

Historically, the name has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest was Sir Robert Nightingale (c. 1360-1436), a prominent English soldier who served under Henry V during the Hundred Years' War and was present at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.

Another celebrated figure was Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), the pioneering nurse who came to be known as the "Lady with the Lamp" for her tireless efforts during the Crimean War. Her work laid the foundations for modern nursing practices, and she is widely regarded as the founder of modern nursing.

In the realm of literature, the surname is associated with the American poet and essayist Maxine Nightingale (1938-present), whose works explore themes of race, identity, and the African American experience.

Other notable individuals with the surname include Sir Miles Nightingale (1768-1847), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars, and Sir Edmund Nightingale (1842-1926), a British civil servant and administrator in India.

Throughout history, variations of the surname have included Nightingall, Nightingal, and Nightyngale, which reflect the fluid nature of spellings in earlier times. Additionally, the name has been associated with various place names, such as Nightingale Lane in London and Nightingale Valley in Hampshire, further solidifying its connection to the nightingale bird and its distinctive song.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nightingale

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

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

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

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