2000
#9,761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,056
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Nuttall
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a nut tree or in a nut grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,758 Americans carry the last name Nuttall. That puts it at #9,491 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,207 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nuttall 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 Nuttall with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 91,207
Census rank
#9,491
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,277 bearers of the surname Nuttall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9491st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nuttall, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nuttall
Among Census respondents with the surname Nuttall, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Nuttall 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 Nuttall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 2,936
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 120
- Two or more races3.3% · 107
- Black or African American2.2% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nuttall
Nuttall 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
#9,884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,271
+215 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 123 places
2020
#9,491
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,277
+6 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Up 393 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,761 | 3,056 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,884 | 3,271 | 1.11 | +215 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 123 places |
| 2020 | #9,491 | 3,277 | 1.10 | +6 bearers (+0.2%) | Up 393 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 Nuttall 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 | #9,884 | #9,491 | 4.0% |
| Count | 3,271 | 3,277 | 0.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.11 | 1.10 | -1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nuttall bearers went from 3,271 to 3,277 (+0.2% change). The surname moved up 393 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,884 to #9,491.
FAQ
Nuttall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nuttall?
Name Census estimates that about 3,758 living Americans carry the surname Nuttall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,207 residents.
How common is Nuttall?
Nuttall ranks #9,491 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 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 3,277 people with the surname Nuttall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,758), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 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 Nuttall.
Has Nuttall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nuttall went from 3,271 recorded bearers to 3,277. That is an increase of 6 (+0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,884 to #9,491.
What does the Census say about the background of Nuttall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nuttall, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Nuttall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (2,936 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nuttall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Nuttall (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 Nuttall mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a nut tree or in a nut grove. 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 Nuttall (1.10 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 have the surname Nuttall?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.