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

Nixon, 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 Nixon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nixon in America

Nixon is the 907th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nixon surname appeared 38,147 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 13 people would have the surname Nixon.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nixon 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 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nixon

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

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

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

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