2000
#4,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,981
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.96
Rare Last name
Nutter
An occupational surname for a person who gathered or processed nuts, or a nickname for an eccentric person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,578 Americans carry the last name Nutter. That puts it at #4,603 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,957 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nutter 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 Nutter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.6K
1 in 39,957
Census rank
#4,603
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,480 bearers of the surname Nutter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4603rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nutter, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nutter
The surname Nutter is of English origin, derived from the Middle English word "nott" or "not," which means "nut" or "nutkin." It was likely an occupational surname given to a person who gathered or sold nuts. The name can be traced back to the 13th century in various parts of northern England, particularly in Lancashire and Yorkshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nutter can be found in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1332, where a John le Nutter is mentioned. The prefix "le" was commonly used in medieval times to denote a person's occupation or place of origin.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in various forms such as "Nuttour," "Nuter," and "Nuttar" in various records and documents from the region. The spellings began to standardize to "Nutter" by the 16th and 17th centuries.
The Nutter family has a long history in the village of Haworth, Yorkshire, where they were prominent landowners and farmers. John Nutter (1679-1753), a wealthy clothier and landowner from Haworth, was a notable figure who left a significant portion of his estate to fund the building of a new church in the village.
Another notable Nutter was Thomas Nutter (1764-1846), a renowned clockmaker from Pendle, Lancashire. His longcase clocks are highly prized by collectors and can be found in various museums and private collections.
In the 19th century, Isaac Nutter (1837-1905), a businessman and philanthropist from Bradford, Yorkshire, made significant contributions to the city's development. He founded the Nutter Orphanage and was instrumental in establishing several educational institutions in the area.
The name Nutter also has connections to the infamous Pendle Witch Trials of 1612, where members of the Nutter family were accused of witchcraft. Alice Nutter, a wealthy landowner, was one of the accused and was eventually executed for her alleged involvement in the trials.
While the surname Nutter is predominantly found in northern England, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration. Some notable Nutters include Charles Nutter (1858-1951), an English cricketer who played for Lancashire, and Jonathan Nutter (born 1957), an American actor and screenwriter known for his work in films like "Firefly" and "Serenity."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nutter
Among Census respondents with the surname Nutter, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Nutter 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 Nutter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 6,490
- Black or African American5.9% · 438
- Two or more races3.6% · 267
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 194
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nutter
Nutter 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
#4,368
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,137
+156 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 2.76
Rank movement Down 259 places
2020
#4,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,480
-657 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 2.50
Rank movement Down 235 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,109 | 7,981 | 2.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,368 | 8,137 | 2.76 | +156 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 259 places |
| 2020 | #4,603 | 7,480 | 2.50 | -657 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 235 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 Nutter 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 | #4,368 | #4,603 | -5.4% |
| Count | 8,137 | 7,480 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.76 | 2.50 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nutter bearers went from 8,137 to 7,480 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 235 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,368 to #4,603.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Nutter
FAQ
Nutter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nutter?
Name Census estimates that about 8,578 living Americans carry the surname Nutter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,957 residents.
How common is Nutter?
Nutter ranks #4,603 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,480 people with the surname Nutter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,578), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Nutter.
Has Nutter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nutter went from 8,137 recorded bearers to 7,480. That is a decrease of 657 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,368 to #4,603.
What does the Census say about the background of Nutter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nutter, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Nutter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (6,490 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nutter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Black (5.9%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Nutter (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 Nutter mean?
An occupational surname for a person who gathered or processed nuts, or a nickname for an eccentric person. 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 Nutter (2.50 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 Americans have the surname Nutter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.