2000
#15,194
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,779
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Nivens
A surname possibly derived from the Old French 'nevin' meaning nephew.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,034 Americans carry the last name Nivens. That puts it at #15,813 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 168,512 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nivens 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
2.0K
1 in 168,512
Census rank
#15,813
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,774 bearers of the surname Nivens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15813th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nivens, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nivens
The surname NIVENS is believed to have originated in England, with roots dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "niwelund," which means "new land" or "newly cultivated land." This name was likely given to someone who lived on or owned land that had been recently cleared for agriculture or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded appearances of the name NIVENS can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk from 1199, where a person named William Nivene is mentioned. The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, providing valuable insights into the names and occupations of individuals living during that time.
The name NIVENS has also been traced to various locations in England, such as the village of Neville in Wiltshire, and the town of Neville's Cross in County Durham. These place names may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname over time, including Nevins, Nevens, and Nevinson.
In the 14th century, the NIVENS name appeared in the Heraldic Visitations of Yorkshire, which were official tours conducted by officers of the College of Arms to record and validate the pedigrees and coats of arms of noble families. This suggests that some members of the NIVENS family held a prominent social status during that period.
Notable individuals with the surname NIVENS include:
1. Thomas Nevins (c. 1570-1640), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury in the early 17th century.
2. John Nevins (1639-1684), an English clergyman and academic who was the Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge.
3. William Nevins (1797-1835), an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Congressman from New York.
4. Allan Nevins (1890-1971), an American historian and journalist who wrote extensively on the Civil War and American political biography.
5. Gavin Nevins (born 1981), an American actor known for his roles in television series like "The Office" and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."
While the NIVENS surname has evolved over time and spread across different regions, its origins can be traced back to the English countryside, where it was likely associated with the cultivation of new lands and the establishment of settlements during the medieval period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nivens
Among Census respondents with the surname Nivens, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Nivens 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 Nivens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.9% · 1,222
- Black or African American23.4% · 416
- Two or more races3.7% · 65
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nivens
Nivens 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
#15,625
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,870
+91 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 431 places
2020
#15,813
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,774
-96 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 188 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,194 | 1,779 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,625 | 1,870 | 0.63 | +91 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 431 places |
| 2020 | #15,813 | 1,774 | 0.59 | -96 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 188 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 Nivens 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 | #15,625 | #15,813 | -1.2% |
| Count | 1,870 | 1,774 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.59 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nivens bearers went from 1,870 to 1,774 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 188 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,625 to #15,813.
FAQ
Nivens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nivens?
Name Census estimates that about 2,034 living Americans carry the surname Nivens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 168,512 residents.
How common is Nivens?
Nivens ranks #15,813 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 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 1,774 people with the surname Nivens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,034), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 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 Nivens.
Has Nivens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nivens went from 1,870 recorded bearers to 1,774. That is a decrease of 96 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,625 to #15,813.
What does the Census say about the background of Nivens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nivens, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Two or More Races (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 Nivens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.9% (1,222 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nivens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.9%), Black (23.4%), Two or More Races (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 Nivens (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 Nivens mean?
A surname possibly derived from the Old French 'nevin' meaning nephew. 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 Nivens (0.59 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 common is the surname Nivens?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Nivens on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.