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

Nuttall, 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 Nuttall surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nuttall in America

Nuttall is the 9884th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nuttall surname appeared 3,271 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Nuttall.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nuttall 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 Nuttall

The surname Nuttall is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "hnutu" meaning nut and "halh" meaning a nook or corner of land. It likely originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a nut tree or in a nook of land where nut trees grew.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Nutehale" in Staffordshire. This suggests the name was already well-established in England by the late 11th century.

In Lancashire, the name Nuttall is closely associated with the small town of the same name, which was originally recorded in the 13th century as "Nutehale". This place name likely gave rise to many instances of the surname in that region.

One notable early bearer of the name was John Nuttall, a Franciscan friar who lived in the late 14th century and authored several theological works. Another was Sir Thomas Nuttall, a 16th century English landowner and Member of Parliament.

In the 17th century, Thomas Nuttall (1605-1676) was a prominent English Quaker who was imprisoned several times for his faith. His grandson, John Nuttall (1678-1753), continued the family's Quaker tradition and became a respected minister.

Moving into the 19th century, Thomas Nuttall (1786-1859) was a prominent English botanist and zoologist who made significant contributions to the study of American flora and fauna. He is considered one of the founding figures of natural history in the United States.

Another notable bearer was Sir John Nuttall (1858-1938), a British Army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest award for military gallantry. He was recognized for his actions during the Second Boer War in South Africa.

These are just a few examples of the many individuals who have borne the surname Nuttall throughout its long history, spanning from the medieval period to modern times, and illustrating its enduring presence in England and beyond.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nuttall

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

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

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

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