Nocona
A name of Native American origin referring to wanderer or traveler.
Name Census estimates that about 17 living Americans carry the first name Nocona. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 64.7% of registrations being male. The average person named Nocona today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nocona births was 1996 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nocona. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Nocona. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
17
~ 1 in 20,162,020 Americans
Peak year
1996
6 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
1998 SSA rank
#9,303
Tracked since 1994
Gender
Gender distribution for Nocona
Nocona is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 17 total registrations, 11 (64.7%) were male and 6 (35.3%) were female.
Nocona as a male name
- Ranked #9,303 in 1998
- 6 male births in 1998
- Peak: 1998 (6 births)
Nocona as a female name
- Ranked #12,996 in 1996
- 6 female births in 1996
- Peak: 1996 (6 births)
Popularity
Nocona: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Nocona by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Nocona during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11 | 6 | 17 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Nocona
The name Nocona is derived from the indigenous Comanche language of North America. It has its origins in the word "Nahkonahwu," which translates to "wanderer" or "traveler." The Comanche people are a Native American tribe that historically inhabited the Great Plains region of the present-day United States.
Nocona was likely first used as a personal name by members of the Comanche tribe, particularly during the 18th and 19th centuries. It gained broader recognition and usage as a first name in the United States due to the influence and interactions between European settlers and Native American tribes in the American West.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Nocona can be found in the writings of Spanish explorers and missionaries who documented their encounters with the Comanche people in the 18th century. Historical accounts from this period often mention Comanche leaders or prominent figures with the name Nocona or similar variations.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Nocona. One such person was Nocona Parker (c. 1822-1860), a renowned Comanche chief who led his tribe in battles against the Texas Rangers and other settlers encroaching on Comanche lands during the mid-19th century.
Another noteworthy figure with the name Nocona was Nocona Burgess (1835-1909), a Comanche warrior and diplomat who played a significant role in negotiating peace treaties between the Comanche tribe and the United States government in the late 19th century.
In literature, the name Nocona appears in the novel "The Son" by Philipp Meyer, published in 2013. The novel features a character named Nocona, a Comanche warrior who becomes a central figure in the story's exploration of the complex relationships between Native Americans and European settlers in Texas.
Other famous individuals who have carried the name Nocona include Nocona Pettis (1870-1949), a Comanche artist and educator, and Nocona Parton (1914-1975), a Comanche actor and stuntman who appeared in several Hollywood films depicting Native American characters.
While the name Nocona has its roots in the indigenous Comanche culture, it has gained broader recognition and popularity beyond its original context, becoming a part of the diverse tapestry of names found in the United States and other parts of the world.
People
Nocona + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nocona as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nocona: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nocona?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 17 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nocona going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 20,162,020 US residents.
Is Nocona a common name?
We classify Nocona as "Very Rare". It ranks above 37.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 17 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nocona most popular?
The single biggest year for Nocona was 1996, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nocona is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Nocona in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nocona a male name?
Yes, 64.7% of people registered as Nocona in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Nocona still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nocona in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Nocona can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Nocona?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.