2000
#7,686
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,994
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.48
Rare Last name
Nightingale
A descriptive surname referring to a person with a beautiful singing voice, like the melodious song of the nightingale bird.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,830 Americans carry the last name Nightingale. That puts it at #7,596 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,964 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nightingale 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 Nightingale with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.8K
1 in 70,964
Census rank
#7,596
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,212 bearers of the surname Nightingale in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7596th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nightingale, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nightingale
Among Census respondents with the surname Nightingale, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Nightingale 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 Nightingale surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 3,654
- Black or African American5.1% · 216
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 156
- Two or more races3.1% · 130
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nightingale
Nightingale 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
#7,255
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,596
+602 bearers (+15.1%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Up 431 places
2020
#7,596
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,212
-384 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Down 341 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,686 | 3,994 | 1.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,255 | 4,596 | 1.56 | +602 bearers (+15.1%) | Up 431 places |
| 2020 | #7,596 | 4,212 | 1.41 | -384 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 341 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 Nightingale 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 | #7,255 | #7,596 | -4.7% |
| Count | 4,596 | 4,212 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.56 | 1.41 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nightingale bearers went from 4,596 to 4,212 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 341 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,255 to #7,596.
FAQ
Nightingale surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nightingale?
Name Census estimates that about 4,830 living Americans carry the surname Nightingale. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,964 residents.
How common is Nightingale?
Nightingale ranks #7,596 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.41 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 4,212 people with the surname Nightingale. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,830), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.41 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 Nightingale.
Has Nightingale become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nightingale went from 4,596 recorded bearers to 4,212. That is a decrease of 384 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,255 to #7,596.
What does the Census say about the background of Nightingale?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nightingale, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Nightingale in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (3,654 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nightingale appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Black (5.1%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Nightingale (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 Nightingale mean?
A descriptive surname referring to a person with a beautiful singing voice, like the melodious song of the nightingale bird. 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 Nightingale (1.41 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 Nightingale?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.