2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Nyby
A surname potentially of Scandinavian origins, derived from a place name or referring to someone who lived near a new farmstead.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Nyby. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nyby 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Nyby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nyby, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nyby
The surname Nyby originated in Scandinavia, particularly in Sweden and Norway. It is believed to have derived from the Old Norse word "nybyar," which means "new village" or "new settlement." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been among the first inhabitants of a newly established village or community.
The name Nyby can be traced back to the medieval period, and it is found in various historical records from that era. One of the earliest documented references to the name appears in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian diplomatic documents from the 13th century, where a person named Thorstein Nyby is mentioned in a land transaction.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Nyby was prevalent in the regions of Dalarna and Värmland in Sweden, as well as in the Norwegian county of Østfold. In these areas, the name was often associated with specific farmsteads or villages, such as Nybyn or Nybygda.
One notable individual with the surname Nyby was Olof Nyby, a Swedish farmer and soldier who lived in the late 17th century. He fought in the Great Northern War (1700-1721) and was renowned for his bravery on the battlefield.
Another prominent figure was Jens Nyby, a Norwegian merchant and shipowner who lived in the 18th century. He was based in the town of Moss and played a significant role in the development of maritime trade in the region.
In the 19th century, the Nyby surname gained recognition with the birth of Edvard Nyby (1822-1898), a Norwegian painter known for his landscapes and portraits. His works are displayed in several prestigious museums in Norway.
The name Nyby has also been associated with various place names throughout Scandinavia, such as Nybyn in Sweden and Nybygda in Norway. These place names often reflect the historical presence of settlements or villages established by individuals bearing the Nyby surname.
Other notable individuals with the surname Nyby include:
1. Johan Nyby (1858-1932), a Swedish architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in Stockholm.
2. Knut Nyby (1899-1976), a Norwegian politician and member of the Norwegian Parliament.
3. Ingrid Nyby (1927-2005), a Swedish author and poet, known for her children's literature and poetry collections.
4. Erik Nyby (1933-2018), a Norwegian engineer and inventor, renowned for his contributions to the development of offshore oil platforms.
5. Lise Nyby (born 1956), a Danish artist and sculptor, whose works have been exhibited internationally.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nyby
Among Census respondents with the surname Nyby, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Nyby 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 Nyby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 91
- Two or more races5.7% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nyby
Nyby 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
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+5 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,986 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+5.0%) | Up 7,986 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 Nyby 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 | #160,975 | #152,989 | 5.0% |
| Count | 100 | 105 | 5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nyby bearers went from 100 to 105 (+5.0% change). The surname moved up 7,986 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #152,989.
FAQ
Nyby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nyby?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Nyby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Nyby?
Nyby ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Nyby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Nyby.
Has Nyby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nyby went from 100 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 5 (+5.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Nyby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nyby, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Nyby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nyby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Two or More Races (5.7%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Nyby (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 Nyby mean?
A surname potentially of Scandinavian origins, derived from a place name or referring to someone who lived near a new farmstead. 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 Nyby (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 have the surname Nyby?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.