2000
#5,635
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,650
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.09
Rare Last name
Nabors
A surname derived from a Middle English term for a neighbor or nearby resident.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,331 Americans carry the last name Nabors. That puts it at #6,001 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,139 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nabors 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
6.3K
1 in 54,139
Census rank
#6,001
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,521 bearers of the surname Nabors in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6001st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nabors, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nabors
The surname Nabors originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English words 'nafu' meaning 'nave' or hub of a wheel, and 'ora' meaning a bank or shore. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a river bank or coastal area where ship wheels were repaired.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1197, where a Richard de Navenora is mentioned. This early spelling variation highlights the name's geographical origins.
In the 13th century, the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire mention a John de Navenor, further cementing the name's presence in medieval England. The variant spelling Navenor was common during this period.
The Nabors name is also found in the Feet of Fines for Essex from 1319, where a William Navenor is recorded. This legal document showcases the name's evolution over time.
By the 16th century, the surname had solidified into its modern spelling of Nabors. Notable individuals with this surname include:
1. Robert Nabors (1559-1616), an English merchant and alderman in the city of London.
2. Jeremias Nabors (1655-1720), a Puritan minister and author from Massachusetts.
3. Edward Nabors (1781-1858), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Georgia.
4. John Nabors (1815-1897), a prominent plantation owner and businessman in Alabama.
5. Jim Nabors (1930-2017), an American actor and singer best known for his role as Gomer Pyle on the 1960s television series.
While the Nabors surname is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich historical legacy that can be traced back to medieval England and the geographic features that likely inspired its origin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nabors
Among Census respondents with the surname Nabors, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Nabors 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 Nabors surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.7% · 3,684
- Black or African American24.4% · 1,347
- Two or more races5.3% · 292
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 132
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nabors
Nabors 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
#6,017
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,718
+68 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Down 382 places
2020
#6,001
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,521
-197 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Up 16 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,635 | 5,650 | 2.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,017 | 5,718 | 1.94 | +68 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 382 places |
| 2020 | #6,001 | 5,521 | 1.85 | -197 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 16 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 Nabors 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 | #6,017 | #6,001 | 0.3% |
| Count | 5,718 | 5,521 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.94 | 1.85 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nabors bearers went from 5,718 to 5,521 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 16 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,017 to #6,001.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Nabors
FAQ
Nabors surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nabors?
Name Census estimates that about 6,331 living Americans carry the surname Nabors. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,139 residents.
How common is Nabors?
Nabors ranks #6,001 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,521 people with the surname Nabors. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,331), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Nabors.
Has Nabors become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nabors went from 5,718 recorded bearers to 5,521. That is a decrease of 197 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,017 to #6,001.
What does the Census say about the background of Nabors?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nabors, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.7%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Nabors in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.7% (3,684 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nabors appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.7%), Black (24.4%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Nabors (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 Nabors mean?
A surname derived from a Middle English term for a neighbor or nearby resident. 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 Nabors (1.85 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 common is the surname Nabors?
If you just want to know how common the surname Nabors is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.