2000
#2,821
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,632
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.31
Uncommon Last name
Nye
A surname of English origin referring to someone who lived near an island, from Middle English "ey" meaning "island."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,663 Americans carry the last name Nye. That puts it at #2,955 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,086 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nye 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 Nye with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 25,086
Census rank
#2,955
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,915 bearers of the surname Nye in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2955th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nye, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nye
The surname Nye is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "anhidde" or "anhudisc," which means "one-eyed" or "blind in one eye." This name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who had a physical characteristic of being one-eyed or having a vision impairment in one eye.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Nye date back to the 13th century in various parts of England, such as Yorkshire, Oxfordshire, and Gloucestershire. It was initially spelled in various ways, including Nie, Nies, and Nyes, before the modern spelling of Nye became more standardized.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are mentions of individuals with the surname Nie, which is believed to be an early variation of Nye. This suggests that the name was already in use before the Norman Conquest of 1066.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Nye was William Nye, who was born in the late 13th century in Taunton, Somerset. He was a prominent landowner and served as a tax collector for the region.
Another notable figure with the surname Nye was Philip Nye (1596-1672), an English Presbyterian minister and theologian who played a significant role in the Westminster Assembly, a council of divines that met to restructure the Church of England during the English Civil War.
In the 17th century, the Nye family established itself in New England, where several members made significant contributions. Benjamin Nye (1620-1687) was one of the first settlers of Sandwich, Massachusetts, and served as a deputy to the General Court of Plymouth Colony.
Gideon Nye (1770-1848), born in Sandwich, Massachusetts, was a Baptist minister and author who wrote several religious works, including a notable treatise on Christian baptism.
Another prominent individual with the surname Nye was James Warren Nye (1815-1876), a lawyer and politician from New York who served as the 8th Governor of Nevada from 1864 to 1867.
While the surname Nye originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and settlement in new territories. However, its roots can be traced back to the Old English language and the descriptive nickname associated with a physical characteristic.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nye
Among Census respondents with the surname Nye, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Nye 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 Nye surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 10,889
- Two or more races3.3% · 392
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 336
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 141
- Black or African American0.8% · 100
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 57
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nye
Nye 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
#2,952
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,167
+535 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 4.12
Rank movement Down 131 places
2020
#2,955
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,915
-252 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 3.99
Rank movement Down 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,821 | 11,632 | 4.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,952 | 12,167 | 4.12 | +535 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 131 places |
| 2020 | #2,955 | 11,915 | 3.99 | -252 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 3 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 Nye 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 | #2,952 | #2,955 | -0.1% |
| Count | 12,167 | 11,915 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 4.12 | 3.99 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nye bearers went from 12,167 to 11,915 (-2.1% change). The surname moved down 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,952 to #2,955.
FAQ
Nye surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nye?
Name Census estimates that about 13,663 living Americans carry the surname Nye. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,086 residents.
How common is Nye?
Nye ranks #2,955 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.99 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,915 people with the surname Nye. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,663), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.99 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Nye.
Has Nye become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nye went from 12,167 recorded bearers to 11,915. That is a decrease of 252 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,952 to #2,955.
What does the Census say about the background of Nye?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nye, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Nye in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (10,889 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nye appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Nye (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 Nye mean?
A surname of English origin referring to someone who lived near an island, from Middle English "ey" meaning "island." 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 Nye (3.99 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 Nye?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.