2000
#19,272
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,301
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.48
Rare Last name
Niven
A locational surname originating from Niven in Scotland, derived from Scottish Gaelic nabuidh meaning "newcomer".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,428 Americans carry the last name Niven. That puts it at #21,399 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 240,024 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Niven 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 Niven with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.4K
1 in 240,024
Census rank
#21,399
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,245 bearers of the surname Niven in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21399th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Niven, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Niven
The surname Niven is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name Naomhán, meaning "little saint" or "favourite." It is believed to have originated in the Scottish Highlands during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the ancient Scottish records, such as the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where it appears as "Nevyn." This spelling variation suggests that the name may have evolved from the Gaelic word "naoimh," meaning "saint."
In the 14th century, the name Niven was associated with the Clan Macnab, a Highland Scottish clan based in the Breadalbane region of Perthshire. The Macnabs were known as fierce warriors and loyal supporters of the Scottish monarchy.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Niven surname began to spread throughout Scotland, with concentrations in the counties of Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and the Scottish Borders. Some notable individuals bearing the name during this period include Robert Niven, a merchant from Ayr who lived in the late 16th century, and John Niven, a Presbyterian minister from Lanarkshire in the early 17th century.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Niven surname became more widespread throughout the British Isles and beyond, as Scottish migrants and emigrants carried the name to various parts of the world. One notable Niven was David Niven (1910-1983), the acclaimed English actor and author who was born in Kirriemuir, Scotland, and had a successful career in Hollywood.
Other notable individuals with the surname Niven include:
1. John Niven (1925-2019), a Scottish author and playwright known for his novels and adaptations for television and film.
2. William Niven (1842-1917), a Scottish-American architect who designed many notable buildings in California, including the Bradbury Building in Los Angeles.
3. James Niven (1772-1808), a Scottish mathematician and astronomer best known for his work on the theory of spherical geometry.
4. Frederick Niven (1878-1944), a Canadian politician who served as the 18th Premier of Alberta from 1925 to 1937.
5. Liam Niven (born 1988), a Scottish professional golfer who has competed on the European Tour and PGA Tour.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Niven
Among Census respondents with the surname Niven, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Niven 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 Niven surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 1,141
- Two or more races2.6% · 32
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 28
- Black or African American1.0% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Niven
Niven 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
#20,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,334
+33 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.45
Rank movement Down 775 places
2020
#21,399
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,245
-89 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.42
Rank movement Down 1,352 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,272 | 1,301 | 0.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,047 | 1,334 | 0.45 | +33 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 775 places |
| 2020 | #21,399 | 1,245 | 0.42 | -89 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 1,352 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 Niven 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 | #20,047 | #21,399 | -6.7% |
| Count | 1,334 | 1,245 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.45 | 0.42 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Niven bearers went from 1,334 to 1,245 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 1,352 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,047 to #21,399.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Niven
FAQ
Niven surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Niven?
Name Census estimates that about 1,428 living Americans carry the surname Niven. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 240,024 residents.
How common is Niven?
Niven ranks #21,399 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.42 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,245 people with the surname Niven. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,428), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.42 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Niven.
Has Niven become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Niven went from 1,334 recorded bearers to 1,245. That is a decrease of 89 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #20,047 to #21,399.
What does the Census say about the background of Niven?
Among Census respondents with the surname Niven, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Niven in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (1,141 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Niven appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Niven (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 Niven mean?
A locational surname originating from Niven in Scotland, derived from Scottish Gaelic nabuidh meaning "newcomer". 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 Niven (0.42 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 Niven?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.