2000
#2,584
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,878
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.77
Uncommon Last name
Nesbitt
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "nose bit," likely referring to a geographical feature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,545 Americans carry the last name Nesbitt. That puts it at #2,768 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,565 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nesbitt 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 Nesbitt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 23,565
Census rank
#2,768
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,684 bearers of the surname Nesbitt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2768th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nesbitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.7%. The next largest groups are Black (34.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nesbitt
The surname Nesbitt is of Scottish origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "nesse," meaning nose or promontory, and "bitt," meaning a bite or piece. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a distinctive nose-shaped headland or promontory.
The Nesbitt surname is first recorded in the early 13th century in the county of Berwickshire, which lies along the Scottish-English border. Variations of the spelling include Nesbitt, Nesbit, Nisbett, and Niesbit. The name is also associated with several place names, such as Nesbit in Northumberland, England, and Nesbitt in County Durham, England.
One of the earliest recorded Nesbitts is Sir William de Nesbyt, who was a Scottish knight and landowner in the late 13th century. He is mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded those who pledged allegiance to King Edward I of England.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Nesbitt family held lands in various parts of Scotland, including Berwickshire, East Lothian, and Roxburghshire. Notable figures include James Nesbitt (1610-1672), a Scottish minister and theologian who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1661.
In the 18th century, Robert Nesbitt (1707-1783) was a prominent Scottish merchant and banker in London. He was instrumental in establishing the British Linen Company, one of the earliest commercial banks in Scotland.
The 19th century saw several notable Nesbitts, including Louisa Cranstoun Nisbett (1812-1858), a Scottish writer and poet. Her works included "Poems, Scriptural and Miscellaneous" and "The Cairngorm Mountains."
Another notable figure was Sir John Nesbitt (1869-1945), a British colonial administrator who served as the Governor of the Leeward Islands from 1913 to 1919 and as the Governor of Nigeria from 1919 to 1925.
During the 20th century, Kathleen Nesbitt (1888-1968) was a British artist and illustrator known for her depictions of children's literature characters, including those from the works of Lewis Carroll and J.M. Barrie.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nesbitt
Among Census respondents with the surname Nesbitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.7%. The next largest groups are Black (34.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Nesbitt 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 Nesbitt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.7% · 7,189
- Black or African American34.7% · 4,399
- Two or more races4.5% · 574
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 410
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 80
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nesbitt
Nesbitt 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
#2,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,248
+370 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 4.49
Rank movement Down 133 places
2020
#2,768
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,684
-564 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 4.24
Rank movement Down 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,584 | 12,878 | 4.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,717 | 13,248 | 4.49 | +370 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 133 places |
| 2020 | #2,768 | 12,684 | 4.24 | -564 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 51 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 Nesbitt 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 | #2,717 | #2,768 | -1.9% |
| Count | 13,248 | 12,684 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.49 | 4.24 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nesbitt bearers went from 13,248 to 12,684 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,717 to #2,768.
FAQ
Nesbitt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nesbitt?
Name Census estimates that about 14,545 living Americans carry the surname Nesbitt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,565 residents.
How common is Nesbitt?
Nesbitt ranks #2,768 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.24 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 12,684 people with the surname Nesbitt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,545), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.24 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 Nesbitt.
Has Nesbitt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nesbitt went from 13,248 recorded bearers to 12,684. That is a decrease of 564 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,717 to #2,768.
What does the Census say about the background of Nesbitt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nesbitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.7%. The next largest groups are Black (34.7%) 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 Nesbitt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.7% (7,189 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nesbitt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (56.7%), Black (34.7%), 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 Nesbitt (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 Nesbitt mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "nose bit," likely referring to a geographical feature. 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 Nesbitt (4.24 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 last name Nesbitt?
See how many people have the last name Nesbitt on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.