2000
#11,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,501
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Rare Last name
Nurse
An occupational surname for a person who tended to or cared for the sick or infirm.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,421 Americans carry the last name Nurse. That puts it at #10,278 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 100,191 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nurse 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 Nurse with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 100,191
Census rank
#10,278
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,983 bearers of the surname Nurse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10278th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nurse, the largest self-reported group is Black at 65.4%. The next largest groups are White (22.1%) and Hispanic (7.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nurse
The surname Nurse is an English occupational name that originated from the Old French word "norrice" or the Middle English word "norrice/nurrice," which mean "wet nurse" or "one who nourishes." This name likely emerged during the 12th or 13th century in England, referring to individuals who worked as wet nurses, caring for and nursing infants and young children.
The earliest known record of the name Nurse can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "le Nurrice." This document contains records of landowners and tenants in various counties of England during the reign of King Edward I. Another early mention of the name is in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where it is listed as "Anneys Nurys."
One of the earliest individuals with the surname Nurse was John Nurse, who was born around 1450 in Navestock, Essex, England. He was a landowner and is mentioned in several historical records from the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name Nurse was also associated with places like Nurse's Cross in Cheshire, which was recorded as "Nurscrosse" in 1586. This suggests that some Nurses may have taken their name from a location rather than solely from the occupational origin.
During the 17th century, the name Nurse gained prominence with individuals like Samuel Nurse (1616-1696), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Stanstead Abbots in Hertfordshire.
Another notable figure was Francis Nurse (1618-1695), a prominent landowner and member of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was the husband of Rebecca Nurse, who was tragically executed during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692.
In the 18th century, the name was associated with individuals like Richard Nurse (1720-1795), an English painter and engraver known for his landscapes and topographical views.
In the 19th century, John Nurse (1798-1876) was a renowned English cricketer who played for the Marylebone Cricket Club and is considered one of the earliest great bowlers in the sport.
The 20th century saw the rise of individuals like Sir Wilfred Nurse (1894-1967), a British civil servant and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) from 1949 to 1953.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nurse
Among Census respondents with the surname Nurse, the largest self-reported group is Black at 65.4%. The next largest groups are White (22.1%) and Hispanic (7.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Nurse 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 Nurse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American65.4% · 1,950
- White22.1% · 658
- Hispanic or Latino7.3% · 219
- Two or more races4.1% · 123
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nurse
Nurse 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
#11,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,786
+285 bearers (+11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Up 203 places
2020
#10,278
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,983
+197 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Up 1,049 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,530 | 2,501 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,327 | 2,786 | 0.94 | +285 bearers (+11.4%) | Up 203 places |
| 2020 | #10,278 | 2,983 | 1.00 | +197 bearers (+7.1%) | Up 1,049 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 Nurse 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 | #11,327 | #10,278 | 9.3% |
| Count | 2,786 | 2,983 | 7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 1.00 | 6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nurse bearers went from 2,786 to 2,983 (+7.1% change). The surname moved up 1,049 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,327 to #10,278.
FAQ
Nurse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nurse?
Name Census estimates that about 3,421 living Americans carry the surname Nurse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 100,191 residents.
How common is Nurse?
Nurse ranks #10,278 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 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 2,983 people with the surname Nurse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,421), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 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 Nurse.
Has Nurse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nurse went from 2,786 recorded bearers to 2,983. That is an increase of 197 (+7.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,327 to #10,278.
What does the Census say about the background of Nurse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nurse, the largest self-reported group is Black at 65.4%. The next largest groups are White (22.1%) and Hispanic (7.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Nurse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.4% (1,950 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nurse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (65.4%), White (22.1%), Hispanic (7.3%). 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 Nurse (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 Nurse mean?
An occupational surname for a person who tended to or cared for the sick or infirm. 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 Nurse (1.00 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 common is the surname Nurse?
Want to know how many people have the surname Nurse? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.