NameCensus.

UK surname

Nester

A surname derived from a nickname for a person who enjoyed debating or was argumentative.

In the 1881 census there were 68 people recorded with the Nester surname, ranking it #23,950 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 146, ranked #24,173, down from #23,950 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Wakefield and West Derby. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Ribble Valley, Wirral and Knowsley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Nester is 154 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 114.7%.

1881 census count

68

Ranked #23,950

Modern count

146

2016, ranked #24,173

Peak year

2010

154 bearers

Map years

4

1911 to 2016

Key insights

  • Nester had 68 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,950 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 146 in 2016, ranked #24,173.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 105 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Nester surname distribution map

The map shows where the Nester surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Nester surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Nester over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 26 #28,667
1861 historical 57 #26,718
1881 historical 68 #23,950
1891 historical 64 #28,781
1901 historical 78 #25,500
1911 historical 105 #22,064
1997 modern 124 #23,669
1998 modern 114 #25,589
1999 modern 117 #25,362
2000 modern 117 #25,324
2001 modern 117 #24,974
2002 modern 125 #24,492
2003 modern 117 #25,282
2004 modern 122 #24,812
2005 modern 122 #24,817
2006 modern 121 #25,133
2007 modern 130 #24,389
2008 modern 125 #25,249
2009 modern 139 #24,161
2010 modern 154 #23,082
2011 modern 148 #23,520
2012 modern 137 #24,731
2013 modern 146 #24,107
2014 modern 152 #23,631
2015 modern 151 #23,613
2016 modern 146 #24,173

Geography

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Where Nesters are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Wakefield, West Derby, Leigh and St Luke. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Ribble Valley, Wirral, Knowsley, Carmarthenshire and Central Bedfordshire. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
2 Wakefield Yorkshire, West Riding
3 West Derby Lancashire
4 Leigh Lancashire
5 St Luke London (Central Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Ribble Valley 003 Ribble Valley
2 Wirral 014 Wirral
3 Knowsley 006 Knowsley
4 Carmarthenshire 023 Carmarthenshire
5 Central Bedfordshire 008 Central Bedfordshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Nester

These lists show first names that appear often with the Nester surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Nester

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Nester, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Nester surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Nester household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

Senior Professionals

Within London, Nester is most associated with areas classed as Senior Professionals, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These very central neighbourhoods house residents whose ages are more skewed towards older age cohorts than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Few households have young children. Rates of illness are low. Indian ethnicity is rare compared to the Supergroup mean. Property under occupation is more common, despite the centrality of neighbourhoods, and more residents live in communal establishments than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Nester is most concentrated in decile 6 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Nester falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Nester is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Nester, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Nester

The surname Nester has its roots in Eastern Europe, particularly in areas that are now part of Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine. It is believed to have originated as an occupational name for a nest-maker or a person who collected bird nests for various purposes.

The word "Nester" is derived from the Slavic term "gniazdo," meaning "nest." This occupation was quite common in rural areas during the Middle Ages when bird nests were used for various purposes, including as a source of food and in traditional medicine.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nester can be found in the Metryka Litewska, a collection of historical documents from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, dating back to the 15th century. This suggests that the name had already become established in the region by that time.

In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name Nester was Nester Malevich (c. 1530 - c. 1600), a prominent merchant and landowner from the city of Lviv, which was then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Another historical figure associated with the name Nester is Nester Kukolnik (1809 - 1868), a Russian dramatist and poet who wrote numerous plays and poems that reflected the social and political issues of his time.

The name Nester also appears in various place names throughout Eastern Europe, such as the village of Nesterov in Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast, which was likely named after a person with this surname.

It's worth noting that variations of the name, such as Nestorov, Nestorowicz, and Nestorovych, can also be found in historical records from the region.

Other notable individuals with the surname Nester include:

1. Nester Buchenevich (c. 1600 - c. 1670), a Belarusian noble and landowner. 2. Nester Toropov (1784 - 1858), a Russian painter and architect. 3. Nester Makhno (1888 - 1934), a Ukrainian revolutionary and anarchist leader. 4. Nester Shmelev (1936 - 2022), a Russian novelist and short story writer. 5. Nester Milenki (1955 - 2018), a Polish artist and sculptor.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Nester families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Nester surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 17 Nesters recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.16x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 17 2.16x
Yorkshire 16 2.43x
Cheshire 12 8.20x
Middlesex 8 1.21x
Staffordshire 8 3.57x
Derbyshire 5 4.82x
Kent 1 0.44x
Midlothian 1 1.13x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 8 Nesters recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.74x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 8 16.74x
Marple 8 800.00x
Thornaby 7 284.55x
Alverthorpe Cum Thornes 5 209.21x
Derby St Werburgh 5 83.47x
Dukinfield 4 59.17x
St Luke London 4 37.59x
Walsall Foreign 4 34.60x
Oldham 3 11.81x
Rugeley 3 186.34x
Wakefield 3 59.52x
St George Hanover 2 23.09x
Bedford 1 60.61x
Cheetham 1 17.04x
Glencorse 1 294.12x
Heap 1 23.98x
Houghton Middleton 1 2000.00x
Kensington London 1 2.71x
Monken Hadley 1 370.37x
Sheffield 1 4.78x
Spotland 1 11.43x
Westleigh 1 55.87x
Whittington 1 217.39x
Woolwich 1 11.96x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Nester surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Nester surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 8
James 5
Patrick 4
Thomas 3
Edward 2
Joseph 2
Mike 2
Anthony 1
David 1
Edwin 1
Michael 1
Michail 1
Robt. 1
Tom 1

FAQ

Nester surname: questions and answers

How common was the Nester surname in 1881?

In 1881, 68 people were recorded with the Nester surname. That placed it at #23,950 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Nester surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 146 in 2016. That gives Nester a modern rank of #24,173.

What does the Nester surname mean?

A surname derived from a nickname for a person who enjoyed debating or was argumentative.

What does the Nester map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Nester bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.