How common is the surname Niven?

1,334 people in the United States had the surname Niven in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 231,443 Americans. It ranked 20,047th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Niven?

David Niven, British actor and novelist (1910–1983), followed by Larry Niven.

Where is the surname Niven most common?

Wikidata records people named Niven in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Is the surname Niven getting more or less common?

More common. 1,301 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 1,334 in 2010, up 2.5%.

The surname Niven

A Scottish Gaelic surname, carried by 1,334 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex N150

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Niven is more common than 87.6% of them.

Origin

Scottish Gaelic origin

From the Scottish Gaelic variant of Nevin.

One of 277 Scottish Gaelic surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 1,334 people named Niven in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 231,443 Americans. That is up 2.5% since 2000, when the Census counted 1,301.

#20,047

rank among US surnames

1,334

people in 2010

0.5

per 100,000 Americans

+2.5%

change since 2000 (was #19,272)

Who is named Niven

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

96% of people named Niven identified as white (not Hispanic), 1.4% as two or more races and 1.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 96%
Two or more races 1.4%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 1.3%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.3%

The Census suppresses very small shares to protect privacy; Black, Native American are not shown.

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Nivens

4 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

David Niven
British actor and novelist (1910–1983)
Larry Niven
American writer (born 1938)
Barbara Niven
American actress, born 1953
Jennifer Niven
American novelist, born 1968

Notable Nivens come mostly from the United States (3) and the United Kingdom (1).

Other Scottish Gaelic surnames

All 277 Scottish Gaelic surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Niven come from?: From the Scottish Gaelic variant of Nevin.
How common is the surname Niven?: 1,334 people in the United States had the surname Niven in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 231,443 Americans. It ranked 20,047th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Niven?: In the 2010 Census, 96% of people named Niven identified as white (not Hispanic), and 1.4% as two or more races.
Who is the most famous person named Niven?: David Niven, British actor and novelist (1910–1983), followed by Larry Niven.
Where is the surname Niven most common?: Wikidata records people named Niven in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Is the surname Niven getting more or less common?: More common. 1,301 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 1,334 in 2010, up 2.5%.