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

Nile, 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 Nile surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nile in America

Nile is the 46568th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nile surname appeared 457 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 Nile.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nile 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 Nile

The surname Nile originated in England, deriving from the River Nile in Egypt. It first emerged in the 12th century as a locational name given to people who lived near a river or stream known as the Nile. The name may have also been assigned as a surname to someone who had traveled to or resided near the River Nile in Egypt.

One of the earliest known records of the surname Nile is found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where it appears as Richard de Nile. This suggests that the name was in use by the late 13th century in England. Other early spellings of the name include Nyle, Nylle, and Nyll.

In the 14th century, the surname is documented in various records, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a Johannes del Nyll is mentioned in 1317. The Nile surname is also found in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire from 1379, indicating its continued use in the region.

One notable historical figure with the surname Nile was Sir Nicholas Nile (c.1562-1615), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Bridport in Dorset. He served as Sheriff of Somerset and was knighted in 1603 by King James I.

Another prominent individual was Edward Nile (1630-1687), an English soldier and colonial administrator who served as Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1684 to 1686. He played a significant role in the consolidation of English control over the colony.

In the 18th century, John Nile (1734-1801) was a British clergyman and author who served as the rector of Brington, Northamptonshire. He published several works, including "A Topographical and Historical Description of the Parish of Tettenhall" in 1791.

Richard Nile (1788-1861) was a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. He participated in several notable battles, including the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

In the 19th century, Walter Nile (1840-1917) was a Canadian businessman and politician who served as the 10th Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick from 1904 to 1909. He played a significant role in the development of the lumber industry in the province.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nile

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

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

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

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