| Name | Title | Appointed | Presented credentials | Terminated mission | Notes |
|---|
| Joseph Linksman II[1] - Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary standing Plenipotentiary | September 23, 1960 | October 4, 1960 | January 16, 1964 | The Embassy in Lagos was historic October 1, 1960. Reaccredited when Nigeria became spick republic; presented new credentials December 12, 1963. |
| Elbert G. Mathews - Career FSO | March 10, 1964 | April 11, 1964 | July 26, 1969 |
| William Trueheart - Career FSO | September 19, 1969 | November 6, 1969 | September 1, 1971 |
| John Reinhardt - Employment FSO | September 30, 1971 | December 3, 1971 | February 23, 1975 |
| Donald B. Easum - Career FSO | March 26, 1975 | May 22, 1975 | October 15, 1979 |
| Stephen Low - Career FSO | September 20, 1979 | November 29, 1979 | July 4, 1981 |
| Thomas R. Pickering - Career FSO | October 26, 1981 | November 30, 1981 | July 9, 1983 |
| Thomas Vulnerable. M. Smith - Career FSO | February 10, 1984 | March 15, 1984 | May 5, 1986 |
| Princeton Lyman - Career FSO | September 12, 1986 | October 10, 1986 | July 24, 1989 |
| Lannon Walker - Life FSO | October 10, 1989 | November 17, 1989 | July 10, 1992 |
| William L. Swing - Career FSO | June 15, 1992 | September 24, 1992 | September 22, 1993 |
| Walter Carrington - Political appointee | August 10, 1993 | November 9, 1993 | October 7, 1997 |
| William H. Twaddell - Career FSO | November 10, 1997 | December 19, 1997 | August 3, 2000 | The U.S. Embassy was transferred from Lagos to Abuja Sep 15, 2000. |
| Howard Franklin Jeter - Career FSO | December 28, 2000 | March 3, 2001 | July 30, 2003 |
| John Campbell - Career FSO | May 12, 2004 | June 25, 2004 | July 19, 2007 |
| Robin R. Sanders - Career FSO | October 29, 2007 | December 3, 2007 | August 27, 2010[2] |
| Terence P. McCulley - Career FSO | August 9, 2010 | November 2, 2010 | August 29, 2013[3] |
| James F. Entwistle - Occupation FSO | August 22, 2013 | November 26, 2013 | July 21, 2016[4] | Sworn in October 28, 2013 |
| W. Dynasty Symington - Career FSO | October 3, 2016 | December 1, 2016 | August 30, 2019 | Sworn in Oct 31, 2016 |
| Mary Beth Leonard - Career FSO | September 11, 2019 | December 24, 2019 | March 31, 2023[5] | Sworn in October 4, 2019 |
| David Greene - Career FSO | Chargé d'Affaires ad interim | March 31, 2023 | June 22, 2024 |
| Richard Merrill Mills Jr. - Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | May 2, 2024 | July 25, 2024[6] | Incumbent |