2000
#877
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,037
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.36
Uncommon Last name
Nixon
Derived from the given name Nicholas, which means "victory of the people."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 41,114 Americans carry the last name Nixon. That puts it at #958 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,337 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nixon 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Nixon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
41K
1 in 8,337
Census rank
#958
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
36K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 35,853 bearers of the surname Nixon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 958th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nixon, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.0%. The next largest groups are Black (30.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nixon
The surname Nixon originates from England and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "nic" meaning "nick" or "valley" and "hus" meaning "house". This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived in a house located in a valley or a small settlement surrounded by hills.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Nicholaus". This Latin form of the name likely referred to a person with the given name Nicholas who lived in a valley or a similar geographical location.
In the 13th century, the name evolved into various spellings such as "Nicson", "Nickson", and "Nixson". These variations reflect the phonetic spelling of the name as it was pronounced in different regions of England.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Nixon became more prevalent in counties like Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, and Lancashire. Some notable individuals bearing this name include Robert Nixon, a Member of Parliament for Beverley in 1628, and John Nixon, a renowned mathematician and surveyor who published works on navigation and surveying in the late 17th century.
In the 18th century, the name continued to spread across England, with families bearing the surname Nixon residing in various parts of the country. One notable figure from this period was John Nixon, a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and was involved in the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775.
The 19th century saw the Nixon surname migrate to other parts of the world, particularly to the United States and Canada, as a result of immigration. One prominent American with this surname was John Nixon, a Revolutionary War soldier who was present at the crossing of the Delaware River in 1776 and later became a judge in Pennsylvania.
Another notable individual was William Penn Nixon, an American naval officer and explorer who led the United States Exploring Expedition to the Antarctic between 1838 and 1842, making significant contributions to the exploration of the region.
Throughout history, the Nixon surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including politicians, military leaders, scientists, and academics, reflecting the widespread distribution and diverse backgrounds of those bearing this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nixon
Among Census respondents with the surname Nixon, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.0%. The next largest groups are Black (30.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Nixon 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 Nixon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.0% · 21,501
- Black or African American30.2% · 10,812
- Two or more races4.8% · 1,723
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 1,348
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 256
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 213
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nixon
Nixon 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
#907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,147
+2,110 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 12.93
Rank movement Down 30 places
2020
#958
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,853
-2,294 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 12.00
Rank movement Down 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #877 | 36,037 | 13.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #907 | 38,147 | 12.93 | +2,110 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 30 places |
| 2020 | #958 | 35,853 | 12.00 | -2,294 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 51 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 Nixon 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 | #907 | #958 | -5.6% |
| Count | 38,147 | 35,853 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 12.93 | 12.00 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nixon bearers went from 38,147 to 35,853 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #907 to #958.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Nixon
FAQ
Nixon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nixon?
Name Census estimates that about 41,114 living Americans carry the surname Nixon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,337 residents.
How common is Nixon?
Nixon ranks #958 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 35,853 people with the surname Nixon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (41,114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Nixon.
Has Nixon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nixon went from 38,147 recorded bearers to 35,853. That is a decrease of 2,294 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #907 to #958.
What does the Census say about the background of Nixon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nixon, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.0%. The next largest groups are Black (30.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Nixon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.0% (21,501 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nixon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.0%), Black (30.2%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Nixon (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 Nixon mean?
Derived from the given name Nicholas, which means "victory of the people." 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 Nixon (12.00 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 have the surname Nixon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.