2000
#601
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 51,021
First available Census row
Per 100,000 18.91
Uncommon Last name
Nash
Derived from a place name meaning "at the ash tree" in Old English, originally referring to someone living nearby.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 65,395 Americans carry the last name Nash. That puts it at #579 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 19.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,241 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nash 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 Nash with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
65K
1 in 5,241
Census rank
#579
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
19.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
57K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 57,028 bearers of the surname Nash in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 19.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 579th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nash, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.9%. The next largest groups are Black (23.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nash
The surname NASH is an ancient English name with origins dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word 'aesc', meaning ash tree, and was likely originally a topographic name given to someone who lived near an ash tree or ash grove.
In its earliest form, the name was spelled 'Atte-Nasch' or 'Attenasche', reflecting the common practice of adding the preposition 'atte' before surnames to indicate location. This spelling can be found in records from the early 14th century, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327.
The NASH surname is particularly well-documented in the Domesday Book of 1086, which records several landholders with variations of the name, such as Robert de Esnash and William de Esnesse, in various counties across England.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the NASH surname was John atte Nassh, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1317. Another early bearer of the name was Thomas Nasse, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1345.
As the name evolved over time, it took on various spellings, including Naish, Naysh, Nasche, and Nashe. Some notable figures from history who bore the NASH surname include Thomas Nash (1567-1648), a renowned English poet and playwright, and Richard Nash (1674-1761), a celebrated English entrepreneur and architect who helped establish the city of Bath as a fashionable resort.
Other notable NASH individuals include Beau Nash (1785-1858), an English professional cricketer, and John Nash (1752-1835), an English architect best known for designing the Regent's Park and Regent Street in London. Additionally, John Forbes Nash Jr. (1928-2015), an American mathematician and Nobel laureate, made significant contributions to game theory and differential geometry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nash
Among Census respondents with the surname Nash, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.9%. The next largest groups are Black (23.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Nash 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 Nash surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.9% · 38,171
- Black or African American23.9% · 13,605
- Two or more races4.5% · 2,544
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,876
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 432
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 400
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nash
Nash 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
#569
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 58,714
+7,693 bearers (+15.1%)
Per 100,000 19.90
Rank movement Up 32 places
2020
#579
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 57,028
-1,686 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 19.08
Rank movement Down 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #601 | 51,021 | 18.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #569 | 58,714 | 19.90 | +7,693 bearers (+15.1%) | Up 32 places |
| 2020 | #579 | 57,028 | 19.08 | -1,686 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 10 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 Nash 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 | #569 | #579 | -1.8% |
| Count | 58,714 | 57,028 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 19.90 | 19.08 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nash bearers went from 58,714 to 57,028 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #569 to #579.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Nash
FAQ
Nash surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nash?
Name Census estimates that about 65,395 living Americans carry the surname Nash. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,241 residents.
How common is Nash?
Nash ranks #579 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 19.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 19 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 57,028 people with the surname Nash. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (65,395), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 19.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 19.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 19 of them to have the surname Nash.
Has Nash become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nash went from 58,714 recorded bearers to 57,028. That is a decrease of 1,686 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #569 to #579.
What does the Census say about the background of Nash?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nash, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.9%. The next largest groups are Black (23.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Nash in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.9% (38,171 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nash appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.9%), Black (23.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Nash (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 Nash mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "at the ash tree" in Old English, originally referring to someone living nearby. 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 Nash (19.08 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 Nash?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.