2000
#2,132
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,599
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.78
Uncommon Last name
Nugent
Descendant of Tnúthgait, an Irish name meaning "descendant of the envoy."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,998 Americans carry the last name Nugent. That puts it at #2,257 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,044 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nugent 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 Nugent with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 19,044
Census rank
#2,257
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,695 bearers of the surname Nugent in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2257th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nugent, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nugent
The surname Nugent is of Irish origin, deriving from the Gaelic Ó Nuadháin, which means "descendant of Nuadhán." Nuadhán was a personal name derived from the Old Irish word "nuadh," meaning "new." The name Nugent first appeared in County Westmeath, Ireland, in the 12th century.
The Nugent family played a significant role in the history of Ireland. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The annals mention a Phillip Nugent who was killed in a battle in 1209.
In the 13th century, the Nugents were granted lands in County Westmeath by the Norman invaders. They established their seat at Delvin and became influential in the region. Sir Richard Nugent, who lived in the 14th century, was the first to anglicize the name to Nugent.
The Nugent family produced several notable figures throughout history. Sir Christopher Nugent (1544-1626) was an Irish soldier and politician who served as Lord Deputy of Ireland. George Nugent Grenville (1788-1850) was a British politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1763 to 1765.
Another prominent member of the family was Sir John Nugent (1820-1891), an Irish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Maria Nugent (1771-1849) was an Irish author and traveler who wrote several books about her travels.
The name Nugent has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Nugent's Grange and Nugent's Cross. The family's influence extended beyond Ireland, with Nugents settling in other parts of the British Isles and North America.
Overall, the surname Nugent has a rich history deeply rooted in Irish culture and tradition. Its origins can be traced back to the 12th century, and the family played a significant role in the political and social landscape of Ireland for centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nugent
Among Census respondents with the surname Nugent, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Nugent 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 Nugent surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.0% · 13,181
- Black or African American7.1% · 1,116
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 631
- Two or more races3.3% · 515
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 203
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 49
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nugent
Nugent 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
#2,281
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,977
+378 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 5.42
Rank movement Down 149 places
2020
#2,257
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,695
-282 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 5.25
Rank movement Up 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,132 | 15,599 | 5.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,281 | 15,977 | 5.42 | +378 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 149 places |
| 2020 | #2,257 | 15,695 | 5.25 | -282 bearers (-1.8%) | Up 24 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 Nugent 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 | #2,281 | #2,257 | 1.1% |
| Count | 15,977 | 15,695 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 5.42 | 5.25 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nugent bearers went from 15,977 to 15,695 (-1.8% change). The surname moved up 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,281 to #2,257.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Nugent
FAQ
Nugent surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nugent?
Name Census estimates that about 17,998 living Americans carry the surname Nugent. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,044 residents.
How common is Nugent?
Nugent ranks #2,257 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,695 people with the surname Nugent. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,998), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Nugent.
Has Nugent become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nugent went from 15,977 recorded bearers to 15,695. That is a decrease of 282 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,281 to #2,257.
What does the Census say about the background of Nugent?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nugent, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Nugent in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.0% (13,181 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nugent appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.0%), Black (7.1%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Nugent (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 Nugent mean?
Descendant of Tnúthgait, an Irish name meaning "descendant of the envoy." 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 Nugent (5.25 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 are called Nugent?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Nugent at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.