2000
#10,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,821
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Nevin
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Cnaimhín," meaning "little bone" or "small and slender."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,063 Americans carry the last name Nevin. That puts it at #11,302 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,902 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nevin 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 Nevin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 111,902
Census rank
#11,302
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,671 bearers of the surname Nevin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11302nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nevin, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nevin
The surname NEVIN is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name Naomhán, meaning "little saint" or "holy one." This name was first recorded in the 12th century and was commonly found in the Ayrshire region of western Scotland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented Scottish landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Nevyn" in this historical record.
During the Middle Ages, the name was also associated with the village of Nevyn or Nevyn-de-Cree in Wigtownshire, Scotland. This place name likely contributed to the surname's evolution and its various spellings, such as Nevin, Nevyn, Neving, and Niven.
In the 16th century, the surname NEVIN appeared in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which recorded government transactions. One notable person mentioned in these rolls was John Nevin, a landowner from Ayrshire, who lived during this time period.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname NEVIN have achieved notable accomplishments. One example is Paul Nevin (1597-1683), a Scottish minister and theologian who played a significant role in the Church of Scotland during the 17th century.
Another prominent figure was John Williamson Nevin (1803-1886), an American theologian and educator who served as the president of Franklin and Marshall College in Pennsylvania. He was a influential figure in the German Reformed Church and wrote extensively on theology and philosophy.
In the literary world, John Nevin Duffield (1857-1944) was a renowned Scottish-American poet and author, best known for his works that celebrated the beauty of nature and Scottish heritage.
The surname NEVIN has also been associated with notable figures in the arts. One example is John Stevenson Nevin (1808-1891), a Scottish painter and engraver who specialized in portraiture and genre scenes.
Furthermore, the surname has been carried by individuals in various fields, such as John Nevin Sayre (1892-1972), an American diplomat and ambassador to several countries, including Brazil and Portugal.
While the surname NEVIN has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread across the globe, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in various domains throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nevin
Among Census respondents with the surname Nevin, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Nevin 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 Nevin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 2,400
- Two or more races4.0% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 31
- Black or African American0.9% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nevin
Nevin 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
#10,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,101
+280 bearers (+9.9%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Up 59 places
2020
#11,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,671
-430 bearers (-13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 911 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,450 | 2,821 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,391 | 3,101 | 1.05 | +280 bearers (+9.9%) | Up 59 places |
| 2020 | #11,302 | 2,671 | 0.89 | -430 bearers (-13.9%) | Down 911 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 Nevin 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 | #10,391 | #11,302 | -8.8% |
| Count | 3,101 | 2,671 | -13.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.89 | -14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nevin bearers went from 3,101 to 2,671 (-13.9% change). The surname moved down 911 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,391 to #11,302.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Nevin
FAQ
Nevin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nevin?
Name Census estimates that about 3,063 living Americans carry the surname Nevin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,902 residents.
How common is Nevin?
Nevin ranks #11,302 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,671 people with the surname Nevin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,063), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Nevin.
Has Nevin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nevin went from 3,101 recorded bearers to 2,671. That is a decrease of 430 (-13.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,391 to #11,302.
What does the Census say about the background of Nevin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nevin, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Nevin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (2,400 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nevin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Nevin (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 Nevin mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Cnaimhín," meaning "little bone" or "small and slender." 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 Nevin (0.89 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 Nevin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.