2000
#15,731
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,704
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.63
Uncommon Last name
No
Korean surname representing a village position or office.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,984 Americans carry the last name No. That puts it at #3,618 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,205 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the No surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,205
Census rank
#3,618
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.6K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,579 bearers of the surname No in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3618th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname No, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.2%) and Hispanic (17.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of No
The surname "No" is believed to have originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Latin word "nox," meaning "night." This could suggest that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who worked or traveled at night.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codice Diplomatico della Lombardia Medievale, a collection of medieval documents from the Lombardy region of Italy, which mentions a "Petrus de No" in a document dated 1187. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various records from the city of Genoa, such as the "Liber Juriumm Reipublicae Genuensis" (Book of Rights of the Genoese Republic), which mentions individuals with the surname "No" or variations like "Noe" and "Noa."
One notable figure bearing the name was Giovanni No, a wealthy merchant from Genoa who lived in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. He is mentioned in several documents related to trade and business transactions in the Mediterranean region.
In the 15th century, the name can be found in records from the Duchy of Milan, such as the "Registri delle Lettere Ducali" (Registers of Ducal Letters), which mentions a "Filippo No" in a document dated 1475.
Another historical figure with the surname "No" was Bartolomeo No, a scholar and humanist from Verona who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He was known for his contributions to the study of classical literature and his involvement in the literary circles of the Renaissance.
In the 16th century, the name appears in records from various Italian cities, including Venice, Florence, and Rome. For example, a document from the Archivio di Stato di Venezia (State Archives of Venice) mentions a "Marco No" in 1567.
Over time, the name "No" likely spread to other regions of Italy and beyond, potentially through migration and trade. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Italy, the name has become less common in modern times, but it still exists in various parts of the world with Italian diaspora communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for No
Among Census respondents with the surname No, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.2%) and Hispanic (17.5%).
The bar chart below shows how No bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the No surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.1% · 4,796
- Asian and Pacific Islander18.2% · 1,744
- Hispanic or Latino17.5% · 1,674
- Black or African American10.4% · 997
- Two or more races3.0% · 283
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 85
Timeline
Historical Census data for No
No appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#19,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,349
-355 bearers (-20.8%)
Per 100,000 0.46
Rank movement Down 4,176 places
2020
#3,618
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,579
+8,230 bearers (+610.1%)
Per 100,000 3.20
Rank movement Up 16,289 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,731 | 1,704 | 0.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,907 | 1,349 | 0.46 | -355 bearers (-20.8%) | Down 4,176 places |
| 2020 | #3,618 | 9,579 | 3.20 | +8,230 bearers (+610.1%) | Up 16,289 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the No surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #19,907 | #3,618 | 81.8% |
| Count | 1,349 | 9,579 | 610.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.46 | 3.20 | 596.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of No bearers went from 1,349 to 9,579 (+610.1% change). The surname moved up 16,289 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,907 to #3,618.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname No
FAQ
No surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname No?
Name Census estimates that about 10,984 living Americans carry the surname No. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,205 residents.
How common is No?
No ranks #3,618 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,579 people with the surname No. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,984), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname No.
Has No become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname No went from 1,349 recorded bearers to 9,579. That is an increase of 8,230 (+610.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #19,907 to #3,618.
What does the Census say about the background of No?
Among Census respondents with the surname No, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (18.2%) and Hispanic (17.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname No in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.1% (4,796 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
No appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (18.2%), Hispanic (17.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for No (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does No mean?
Korean surname representing a village position or office. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for No (3.20 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called No?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname No at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.