2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nili
A local surname meaning "indigo" in Arabic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Nili. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nili 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.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Nili in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nili, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nili
The surname NILI originated in the Indian subcontinent during the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Sanskrit word "nila," which means "blue." The name was likely associated with someone who dyed or traded in blue cloth or indigo dye.
NILI is predominantly found in northern India, particularly in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Some historians suggest that the name may have roots in the ancient city of Varanasi, which was a hub for indigo cultivation and dyeing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the NILI surname appears in a 16th-century Persian manuscript, where it is mentioned as the name of a merchant from the region of Awadh (present-day Uttar Pradesh).
In the 17th century, a prominent figure named Mir Nili Ali Khan served as the governor of Awadh under the Mughal Empire. He was known for his patronage of arts and architecture, and the city of Lucknow flourished during his reign.
Another notable person with the NILI surname was Munshi Nili Ram, a renowned poet and scholar who lived in the 19th century. He was born in 1825 in Agra and was celebrated for his contributions to Urdu literature.
During the British Raj, several individuals with the NILI surname held influential positions in the colonial administration. One such person was Rai Bahadur Nili Charan Banerjee, who served as a judge in the Bengal Presidency in the late 19th century.
In more recent times, Dr. Nili Adhikari was a prominent Nepalese academic and linguist who dedicated her life to the study and preservation of Nepal's indigenous languages. She was born in 1920 and played a significant role in documenting the linguistic diversity of Nepal.
Another individual with the NILI surname who gained recognition was Nili Rattan Bakshi, an Indian freedom fighter and social reformer from Punjab. He was born in 1882 and actively participated in the Indian independence movement against British rule.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nili
Among Census respondents with the surname Nili, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Nili 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 Nili surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.5% · 111
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nili
Nili appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+9 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,012 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.5%) | Up 8,012 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 Nili 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 | #153,769 | #145,757 | 5.2% |
| Count | 106 | 115 | 8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nili bearers went from 106 to 115 (+8.5% change). The surname moved up 8,012 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #145,757.
FAQ
Nili surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nili?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Nili. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Nili?
Nili ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Nili. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Nili.
Has Nili become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nili went from 106 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 9 (+8.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Nili?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nili, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Nili in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nili appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.5%), Two or More Races (1.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Nili (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 Nili mean?
A local surname meaning "indigo" in Arabic. 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 Nili (0.04 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 share the surname Nili?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.