Nolon
An obscure unisex name of unknown origin and uncertain meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 68 living Americans carry the first name Nolon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nolon today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nolon births was 1944 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nolon. 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 Nolon. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
68
~ 1 in 5,040,505 Americans
Peak year
1944
12 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
2022 SSA rank
#11,893
Tracked since 1912
Census
Nolon in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 144 people with the first name Nolon, which placed it at #46,371 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#46,371
National first-name rank
People counted
144
144 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
70.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nolon
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nolon is White at 70.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.8%) and Hispanic (4.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Nolon described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Nolon at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.8% · 102
- Black or African American20.8% · 30
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 7
- Two or more races3.5% · 5
Popularity
Nolon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nolon from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 42 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nolon 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 Nolon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nolon
The given name Nolon has its origins rooted in the ancient Sumerian civilization, which flourished in the region of Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) around the 4th millennium BC. It is believed to have derived from the Sumerian word "nu-lu," which translates to "the one who leads" or "the guiding light."
In the early days of Sumerian culture, the name Nolon was often associated with individuals who held positions of leadership or served as guides within their respective communities. This could range from rulers and chieftains to spiritual leaders and navigators.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Nolon can be found in the Sumerian cuneiform tablets, which date back to the 3rd millennium BC. These ancient clay tablets, which were used for record-keeping and literary works, contain references to individuals bearing this name.
Throughout history, several notable figures have carried the name Nolon. One of the earliest known was Nolon the Wise, a celebrated Sumerian scholar and philosopher who lived around 2500 BC. His writings and teachings on various subjects, including astronomy, mathematics, and ethics, were highly regarded in his time.
In the realm of mythology, the name Nolon is associated with a legendary Sumerian hero who was said to have undertaken a perilous journey to the underworld in search of knowledge and enlightenment. This mythical figure's exploits were chronicled in epic tales that were passed down through oral tradition.
During the reign of the Akkadian Empire, which rose to power in Mesopotamia around 2350 BC, a military commander named Nolon is recorded as having led several successful campaigns against rival kingdoms. His strategic brilliance and leadership on the battlefield earned him a place in the annals of Akkadian history.
In the later centuries, the name Nolon found its way into various ancient texts and religious scriptures, including the Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh and the Sumerian creation myth known as the Enuma Elish. These literary works often depicted individuals bearing this name as wise, courageous, and respected figures.
One of the most renowned individuals with the name Nolon was a Sumerian astronomer and mathematician who lived around 1800 BC. His groundbreaking contributions to the study of celestial bodies and the development of mathematical concepts, such as the sexagesimal system, have left a lasting impact on the fields of astronomy and mathematics.
While the name Nolon has its roots in ancient Sumerian culture, it has been adopted and adapted by various other civilizations throughout history, each adding their own cultural and linguistic nuances to its meaning and significance.
People
Nolon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nolon 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
Nolon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nolon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 68 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nolon 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 5,040,505 US residents.
Is Nolon a common name?
We classify Nolon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 58.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 159 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nolon most popular?
The single biggest year for Nolon was 1944, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nolon is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nolon in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 144 people with the name Nolon, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #46,371 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Nolon in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Nolon?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Nolon appears almost entirely male. Of the 143 people counted with this name, 99.3% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Nolon?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nolon is White at 70.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.8%) and Hispanic (4.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Nolon most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Nolon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.8% (102 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Nolon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nolon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nolon 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 Nolon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nolon 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 Nolon 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.
How common is the name Nolon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.