2000
#3,104
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,711
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.97
Uncommon Last name
Nettles
An English occupational surname referring to a person who gathered, grew, or sold nettles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,433 Americans carry the last name Nettles. That puts it at #3,251 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,568 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nettles 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
12K
1 in 27,568
Census rank
#3,251
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,842 bearers of the surname Nettles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3251st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nettles, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.8%. The next largest groups are Black (38.9%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nettles
The surname Nettles is of English origin, derived from a locational name referring to someone who lived near a patch of stinging nettles. It is believed to have originated in the late 12th or early 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199, where a William de Netteleshall is mentioned. This suggests that the name may have derived from a place name like Nettleshall or Nettleshill.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, there is a record of a Richard de Nettelsworth in Oxfordshire, indicating a possible connection to a place called Nettlesworth or a similar variation.
The Nettles surname is also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a John Netteles is listed. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.
A notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Nettles (c. 1400-1472), a member of the English gentry and landowner in Lincolnshire. He served as Sheriff of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire in 1446.
Another prominent figure was Sir Robert Nettles (1545-1611), an English naval officer and explorer who participated in several voyages to the West Indies and Americas in the late 16th century.
In the literary world, Nathaniel Nettles (1629-1688) was an English poet and playwright who wrote several works, including the play "The Loves of Mars and Venus."
During the English Civil War, Captain Thomas Nettles (1610-1678) served as a prominent Parliamentarian officer and was involved in several battles against the Royalists.
In the 18th century, Edward Nettles (1721-1794) was a renowned English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Radcliffe Observatory in Oxford.
While the Nettles surname is primarily associated with England, it has also been found in other parts of the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries due to migration and settlement patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nettles
Among Census respondents with the surname Nettles, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.8%. The next largest groups are Black (38.9%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Nettles 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 Nettles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.8% · 5,729
- Black or African American38.9% · 4,215
- Two or more races4.4% · 474
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 338
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nettles
Nettles 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
#3,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,302
+591 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 3.83
Rank movement Down 94 places
2020
#3,251
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,842
-460 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 3.63
Rank movement Down 53 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,104 | 10,711 | 3.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,198 | 11,302 | 3.83 | +591 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 94 places |
| 2020 | #3,251 | 10,842 | 3.63 | -460 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 53 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 Nettles 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 | #3,198 | #3,251 | -1.7% |
| Count | 11,302 | 10,842 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.83 | 3.63 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nettles bearers went from 11,302 to 10,842 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 53 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,198 to #3,251.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Nettles
FAQ
Nettles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nettles?
Name Census estimates that about 12,433 living Americans carry the surname Nettles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,568 residents.
How common is Nettles?
Nettles ranks #3,251 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.63 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 10,842 people with the surname Nettles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,433), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.63 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 Nettles.
Has Nettles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nettles went from 11,302 recorded bearers to 10,842. That is a decrease of 460 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,198 to #3,251.
What does the Census say about the background of Nettles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nettles, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.8%. The next largest groups are Black (38.9%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Nettles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.8% (5,729 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nettles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.8%), Black (38.9%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Nettles (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 Nettles mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who gathered, grew, or sold nettles. 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 Nettles (3.63 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 are called Nettles?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Nettles on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.