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

Nisbet, 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 Nisbet surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nisbet in America

Nisbet is the 14933rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nisbet surname appeared 1,982 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Nisbet.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nisbet 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 Nisbet

The surname Nisbet has its origins in Scotland, where it first appeared in the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "neohse" meaning "promontory" or "nose of land." This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a prominent headland or cliff.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which list those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England after his conquest of parts of Scotland. Here it appears as "Nisbit" and "Nesbit." Over time, various spellings emerged, including Nisbet, Neisbit, and Nisbett.

In the 14th century, records show that a family bearing the Nisbet name held lands in the Scottish Borders region, particularly around the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed. One notable early member was Philip de Nisbet, who fought alongside King Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.

During the medieval period, the Nisbets were involved in numerous border conflicts between Scotland and England. In 1448, Alexander Nisbet was appointed Warden of the West Marches, responsible for defending the western Scottish border lands.

The Nisbet name also appears in various Scottish clan histories and records. In the 16th century, a branch of the family became closely associated with the powerful Clan Douglas, serving as vassals and supporters of the Black Douglases.

One of the most famous Nisbets was Sir John Nisbet (1609-1687), a prominent Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland and Lord President of the Court of Session. He was also a noted legal scholar and author of several works on Scottish law.

Another significant figure was Robert Nisbet (1713-1781), a Scottish philosopher and historian who emigrated to America and became the first professor of moral philosophy at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania. His writings on political theory and social philosophy had a lasting influence in the early United States.

In the arts, James Nisbet (1784-1835) was a Scottish portrait painter who produced works depicting many of the notable figures of his time, including Sir Walter Scott and Lord Byron. His paintings are held in collections across Britain and Europe.

Throughout history, the Nisbet name has been associated with various locations in Scotland, including the villages of Nisbet and Nisbet House in the Scottish Borders, as well as the former Nisbet Castle near Duns.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nisbet

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!