Norris
Derived from the Old English "norþ rís" meaning "northerner" or "from the north".
Name Census estimates that about 8,091 living Americans carry the first name Norris. It is a predominantly male name (96.9% of registrations). The average person named Norris today is around 61 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Norris births was 1924 (323 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Norris. 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
- • Although Norris is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 523 girls registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
8.1K
~ 1 in 42,362 Americans
Peak year
1924
323 babies that year
Average age
61
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,360
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Norris
Norris leans heavily male at 96.9% of total registrations, but 523 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Norris as a male name
- Ranked #6,360 in 2024
- 14 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1924 (308 births)
Norris as a female name
- Ranked #11,922 in 1985
- 5 female births in 1985
- Peak: 1933 (22 births)
Popularity
Norris: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Norris from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 2,709 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Norris 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 Norris during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Norris' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 38 states and territories. Texas, Louisiana, Georgia recorded the most babies named Norris, while Colorado, South Dakota, Oregon recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 304 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Norris
The name Norris has its origins in the Norman French language and culture, originating in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "norreis," which means "Norse" or "Northman." This suggests that the name was likely given to individuals with Scandinavian ancestry or those who hailed from the northern regions of France.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Norris can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This historical document mentions several individuals bearing the name, indicating its use in the late 11th century.
The name Norris has been associated with various notable figures throughout history. One such individual was Sir John Norreys (1547-1597), an English military commander who served under Queen Elizabeth I during the Anglo-Spanish War. He played a significant role in the English campaigns against the Spanish in the Netherlands and Ireland.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Robert Norris (1491-1535), an English diplomat and courtier who served as a member of the Privy Council under King Henry VIII. He was also involved in the dissolution of the monasteries, which marked a crucial period in the English Reformation.
In the realm of literature, Frank Norris (1870-1902) was an American novelist and journalist who was a leading figure in the Naturalist movement. His notable works include "McTeague" and "The Octopus," which explored themes of determinism and the influence of environment on human behavior.
Moving to the field of sports, Chuck Norris (born 1940) is a renowned American martial artist, actor, and producer. He rose to fame through his roles in action films such as "Way of the Dragon" and the "Missing in Action" series, becoming a cultural icon and the subject of numerous internet memes.
Lastly, Lancelot "Capability" Brown (1716-1783) was an English landscape architect whose work had a significant impact on the English garden style. He was known for his naturalistic and sweeping landscape designs, earning him the nickname "Capability" due to his ability to identify the potential of a landscape.
People
Norris + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Norris 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
Norris: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Norris?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8,091 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Norris 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 42,362 US residents.
Is Norris a common name?
We classify Norris as "Rare". It ranks above 97.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 16,964 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Norris most popular?
The single biggest year for Norris was 1924, when 323 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Norris is about 61 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Norris a male name?
Yes, 96.9% of people registered as Norris 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.
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.