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

Nihill, 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 Nihill surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nihill in America

Nihill is the 69170th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nihill surname appeared 284 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 Nihill.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nihill 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 Nihill

The surname Nihill is believed to have originated in Ireland, likely in the northern region of Ulster, around the 16th or 17th century. It is thought to be a variant spelling of the more common Irish surname "Newell" or "Neville," derived from the Norman French phrase "de Neuville," meaning "from Neuville" or "new town."

The earliest recorded instances of the Nihill surname can be found in various Irish historical records and documents from the 17th and 18th centuries. One notable example is John Nihill, a merchant and landowner from County Antrim, who lived in the late 17th century and was involved in the Irish linen trade.

In the 19th century, the Nihill name appeared in several notable figures, including James Nihill (1824-1897), an Irish-born Australian politician and journalist who served as a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. Another prominent individual with this surname was William Nihill (1819-1897), an Irish-born American Catholic priest and educator who served as the second president of the University of Notre Dame from 1866 to 1869.

Moving into the early 20th century, we find references to Patrick Nihill (1883-1954), an Irish-born Australian labor leader and politician who served as a member of the Australian House of Representatives. Additionally, there is Francis Nihill (1898-1958), an Irish-born American prelate who served as the Bishop of Trenton, New Jersey, from 1952 until his death in 1958.

One of the more famous figures with the Nihill surname was Michael Nihill (1917-2009), an Irish-born American actor and playwright who had a successful career on stage and in film, appearing in productions such as "The Miracle Worker" and "The Godfather Part II."

While the Nihill surname may not be as widely recognized as some other Irish surnames, it has a rich history and has been borne by notable individuals across various fields, including politics, religion, and the arts.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nihill

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

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

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

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