The Nye surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 12,167 people carried this name — #2,952 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 24,300 people counted. That is up 5% from 11,632 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Nye surname

Topographic surname which derives from a misdivision of Middle English atten (“at the”) + ei (“island”) or æ (“river, waterway”).

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

In the first U.S. census, 1790

135 families named Nye, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 856 people lived in those households, 6.3 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 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

Massachusetts 86
Pennsylvania 14
Vermont 10
Rhode Island 8
Connecticut 7
Maine 5
New York 2
New Hampshire 1
Maryland 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

Nye in American newspapers,
1895–1921.

Newspaper page from Daily Kennebec Journal carrying the name Nye
Daily Kennebec Journal 1921-06-20
Newspaper page from St. Paul Daily Globe carrying the name Nye
St. Paul Daily Globe 1895-02-21
Newspaper page from St. Paul Daily Globe carrying the name Nye
St. Paul Daily Globe 1895-02-19

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 10,709 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Nye in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

9,439 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Nye. The most, 2,227, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Western Australia, at 2.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 2,322
Victoria 2,185
Western Australia 1,872
Queensland 1,614
Tasmania 889
South Australia 476
ACT (Canberra) 48
Northern Territory 12

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

Who carried it

People named Nye,
with a public archive behind them.

  • James W. Nye
    James W. Nye 1815–1876 · judge
  • Francis Augustus Nye
    Francis Augustus Nye 1823– · politician
  • William Foster Nye
    William Foster Nye 1824–1910 · businessperson
  • Mortimer Nye
    Mortimer Nye 1838–1902 · lawyer
  • Mortimer Nye
    Mortimer Nye 1838–1901 · lawyer
  • Alice Joyce Nye d. 1986

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 9 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Nye,
in the records of 8 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 States1,100 records

1,100 records of the Nye name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 447
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 207
  • Other U.S. records 446
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Joseph L. Nye

    Born 1920 in Massachusetts. Enlisted 1944 at Boston; driver from Plymouth County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Melrose Cemetery, Brockton, Massachusetts.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Wallace Gregory Nye

    Born 1946; from Minneapolis, Minnesota. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1967 in Phuoc Long, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Anne Nye

    Arrived at New York in 1877 aboard the Bothnia from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 45; nurse. From England.

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

Showing 3 of 1,100 records for Nye in the United States.

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

Australia301 records

301 records of the Nye name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 187
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 40
  • Other Australian records 74
  1. 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 Charles Nye

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Argyle, sailing from Plymouth in 1831. Native of Cuckfield, Sussex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1843. Married 1844 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 28.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Jane Nye

    Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1838. Married 1838 in Hobart, Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record James Nye

    Arrived in Victoria in 1858 aboard the Atalanta, aged 6; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 301 records for Nye 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) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada24 records

24 records of the Nye name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 17
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 4
  • Other Canadian records 3
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Mary Alberta Nye

    Died 1951 in Parrsboro, Cumberland, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Frederick J. Nye

    Buried in 1915 at Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Albert Nye

    Died in service in 1916.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 24 records for Nye 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. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom13 records

13 records of the Nye name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 9
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 4
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Nye

    Buried in 1821 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 59.

    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 H. Nye

    Sapper, Royal Engineers. 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 John Nye

    Buried in 1833 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 37.

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

Showing 3 of 13 records for Nye 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).

Netherlands12 records

12 records of the Nye name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 11
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Berendina In 't Nye

    Died 1918 in Hengelo.

    Open Archives, Gemeentearchief Hengelo (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Anna Margaretha Nye

    In the population register of Amsterdam; born 1828 in Amsterd.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Amsterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Eltjze Elisabeth Nye

    In the population register of Vlissingen; born 1852 in Amsterdam.

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 12 records for Nye in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Germany5 records

5 records of the Nye name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Hans Nye

    From Lingen a. d. Ems. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 27 August 1915 (Infantry Regiment No. 78).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Konrad Nye

    From Papenburg, Aschendorf. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 9 June 1915 (Infantry Regiment No. 17).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 2 of 5 records for Nye in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

New Zealand3 records

3 records of the Nye name in New Zealand
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 2
  • Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Alfred Welsford Nye

    Died 1994, aged 95; buried at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Neata Henrietta Nye

    Born 1920, died 2000; ashes interred at Kaiapoi Public Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Rose Nye

    Died 1997, aged 96; buried at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District 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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France1 record

1 record of the Nye 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 Mary Bridget Nye

    Born 1922 in Great Britain; died 1997 in Dieppe (Seine-Maritime).

    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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Nye.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Nye 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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