Noyes
From the Old French and meaning "Of the Knoll".
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Noyes. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Noyes today is around 82 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Noyes births was 1929 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Noyes. 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
- • The typical person named Noyes is about 82 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Noyes' were born before 1954.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Noyes. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1929
8 babies that year
Average age
82
years old
1945 SSA rank
#3,218
Tracked since 1921
Popularity
Noyes: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Noyes from the 1920s through to the 1940s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 13 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Noyes remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Noyes 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 Noyes 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 Noyes
The name Noyes has its origins in the French language, derived from the word "noyer," which means "walnut tree." It is believed to have emerged as a surname during the medieval period in France, likely referring to individuals who lived near or worked with walnut trees.
In its earliest recorded use as a given name, Noyes can be traced back to the late 16th century in England. It is thought to have been adopted as a first name by families with the Noyes surname, potentially as a way to honor their ancestral ties or to maintain a connection with their French heritage.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the first name Noyes was Noyes Moor, an English politician who lived from 1575 to 1649. He served as a Member of Parliament for Somersetshire during the early years of the English Civil War.
Another notable figure was Noyes Billings, an American architect born in 1838 who designed several prominent buildings in Hartford, Connecticut, including the Hartford Public Library and the Union Station.
In the realm of literature, Noyes Fitch was an American author and educator who lived from 1849 to 1923. He is best known for his book "The Critic in the Parlor," a collection of essays on literature and literary criticism.
Noyes Parris was a prominent American lawyer and judge who lived from 1829 to 1905. He served as a judge on the Superior Court of Massachusetts and was known for his advocacy of civil rights and social reform.
Noyes Leech, born in 1834, was an American educator and author who wrote several textbooks on English grammar and composition. His works were widely used in schools and universities across the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
While the name Noyes has roots in French language and culture, it has been adopted and used across various regions and contexts throughout history, often reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of those who bore it.
People
Noyes + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Noyes 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
Noyes: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Noyes?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Noyes 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 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Noyes a common name?
We classify Noyes as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 19 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Noyes most popular?
The single biggest year for Noyes was 1929, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Noyes is about 82 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 Noyes in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Noyes a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Noyes 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 Noyes still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Noyes 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 Noyes 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 common is the name Noyes?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.