The Nesbitt surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 13,248 people carried this name — #2,717 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 22,300 people counted. That is up 3% from 12,878 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Nesbitt surname

A habitational surname from Old English.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Nesbitt» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

An early record he cites: Roger atte Nesse, Kent, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Nesbit, Nesbitt, Nisbett and Nesbett.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 552 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 30 births for the Nesbitt name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 5 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim, Armagh, and Dublin.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 23
Leinster 5
Connacht 1
Munster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Scotland’s registers today

Nesbitt was recorded 10 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1929th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

60 families named Nesbitt, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 317 people lived in those households, 5.3 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 12 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 24
South Carolina 16
Maryland 6
North Carolina 5
New York 4
Massachusetts 3
Connecticut 1
Virginia 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 255 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Nesbitt in American newspapers,
1856–1874.

Newspaper page from The Republican Journal carrying the name Nesbitt
The Republican Journal 1874-07-02
Newspaper page from The Opelousas Patriot carrying the name Nesbitt
The Opelousas Patriot 1856-03-08
Newspaper page from The Ripley Advertiser carrying the name Nesbitt
The Ripley Advertiser 1856-03-13

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 70,845 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Nesbitt in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

33,356 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Nesbitt. The most, 7,626, date from the 1920s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 2.0 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 22,121
Victoria 4,316
Queensland 2,429
Western Australia 2,148
South Australia 1,508
Tasmania 689
ACT (Canberra) 109
Northern Territory 7

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Nesbitt.

Who carried it

People named Nesbitt,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Albert Nesbitt d. 1753 · politician
  • John Nesbitt d. 1817 · merchant
  • John Nesbitt d. 1817 · merchant
  • William Nesbitt d. 1784 · politician
  • Philip Lloyd Nesbitt d. 1953
  • Grace Harriet Nesbitt d. 1942

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Nesbitt,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,551 records

1,551 records of the Nesbitt name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 469
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 344
  • Other U.S. records 738
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Joseph Nesbitt

    Born 1948; from Memphis, Tennessee. U.S. Army, armor crewman; died of wounds 1969 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam. Buried at Memphis National Cemetery, Tennessee.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Alpha Nesbitt

    Born 1917 in Oklahoma. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Sill; aircraft worker from Muskegee County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Fort Gibson National Cemetery, Oklahoma.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary A. Nesbitt

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the City of Chester from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 19; servant. From Preston, England; bound for Philadelphia.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,551 records for Nesbitt in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia481 records

481 records of the Nesbitt name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 329
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 70
  • Other Australian records 82
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Frances Nesbitt

    Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1847. Married 1847 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 27.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Samuel Nesbitt

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Guildford, arriving 1829; certificate of freedom 1838.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Eliza Nesbitt

    Arrived in Victoria in 1860 aboard the C W White, aged 57; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 481 records for Nesbitt in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada148 records

148 records of the Nesbitt name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 57
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 31
  • Other Canadian records 60
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jas Nesbitt

    Came to Ontario in 1880 aboard the Polynesian, landing at Quebec, bound for Goodwood, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Ronald Wade Nesbitt

    Buried in 1990 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 40.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Theodore Nesbitt

    Died 1931 in Weymouth North, Digby, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 148 records for Nesbitt in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

New Zealand13 records

13 records of the Nesbitt name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Violet Marion Nesbitt

    Died 1981, aged 89; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Joan Emmeline Nesbitt

    Died 2000, aged 78; buried at Memorial Park Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Barbara Marshall Nesbitt

    Died 1963, aged 84; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 13 records for Nesbitt in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom12 records

12 records of the Nesbitt name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 10
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Alexander Nesbitt

    Buried in 1815 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 62.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record A. Nesbitt

    Dorsetshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Jannette Nesbitt

    Buried in 1819 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 67.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 12 records for Nesbitt in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

France2 records

2 records of the Nesbitt name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record William Nesbitt

    Born 1926 in the United States; died 1991 in Beynac-et-Cazenac (Dordogne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Robert Nesbitt

    Born 1906 in Great Britain; died 1995 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Nesbitt name in the Netherlands Dutch church registers before 1811
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Robbert Nesbitt

    Buried in 1767 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Nesbitt.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Nesbitt is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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