2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nus
A Romanian surname of possible toponymic origin, possibly related to the Nuș village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Nus. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nus 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Nus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nus, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.3%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nus
The surname "NUS" is believed to have originated in the region of Catalonia, Spain during the medieval period. It is likely derived from the Catalan word "nus," meaning "knot" or "node," which may have been used as a descriptive name for someone who worked with ropes or knots, or perhaps as a metaphorical reference to a person's character or physical appearance.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name "NUS" can be found in medieval Catalan documents and records, although specific dates are difficult to pinpoint with certainty. One notable bearer of this surname was Ramon de Nus, a 13th-century Catalan nobleman and military commander who participated in the Reconquista, the centuries-long struggle against the Moors on the Iberian Peninsula.
As the surname spread beyond its Catalan origins, various spelling variations emerged, such as "Nuss," "Nuz," and "Nuce." These variations can be found in historical records from different regions of Spain and other parts of Europe where Catalan settlers and traders established communities.
In the 15th century, a branch of the Nus family settled in the Kingdom of Naples, where they became influential nobles and landowners. One notable member of this branch was Antonio Nus, born in 1492, who served as a military commander and diplomat under King Charles V of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor.
Another prominent figure bearing the surname "NUS" was Joaquín María Nus y Navarrette, a Spanish naval officer and cartographer who lived from 1768 to 1849. He played a significant role in mapping and exploring the Pacific Northwest region of North America during the early 19th century, contributing to the expansion of Spanish influence in the area.
It is also worth noting that the name "NUS" has been associated with various place names and geographical features, particularly in Catalonia and other parts of Spain. For example, the village of Nus in the Pyrenees mountains of Aragon is believed to have derived its name from the surname, reflecting the presence of families bearing this name in the area.
While the surname "NUS" is not among the most common in modern times, its rich history and geographical spread across different regions of Spain, as well as its presence in historical records and notable individuals, make it a fascinating example of the cultural and linguistic diversity found within Spanish surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nus
Among Census respondents with the surname Nus, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.3%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Nus 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 Nus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 105
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.3% · 6
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nus
Nus appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,354 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 2,354 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 Nus 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 | #144,141 | #146,495 | -1.6% |
| Count | 115 | 114 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nus bearers went from 115 to 114 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 2,354 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #146,495.
FAQ
Nus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nus?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Nus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Nus?
Nus ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Nus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Nus.
Has Nus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nus went from 115 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Nus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nus, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.3%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Nus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.3%), Black (1.8%). 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 Nus (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 Nus mean?
A Romanian surname of possible toponymic origin, possibly related to the Nuș village. 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 Nus (0.04 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 share the surname Nus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.