2000
#11,382
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,540
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Noack
A German occupational surname referring to a small boat or vessel, derived from the Middle Low German "nock."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,746 Americans carry the last name Noack. That puts it at #12,385 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 124,819 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Noack 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
2.7K
1 in 124,819
Census rank
#12,385
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,395 bearers of the surname Noack in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12385th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Noack, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Noack
The surname NOACK originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old German word "Noak," which means "Noah," a biblical name. It is believed that the name NOACK was initially used as a patronymic, referring to the son or descendant of someone named Noah.
One of the earliest documented references to the name NOACK can be found in the records of the city of Erfurt, Germany, from the year 1293, where a certain Henricus Noak is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already in use by the late 13th century in central Germany.
During the Middle Ages, the NOACK surname was primarily concentrated in the regions of Saxony, Thuringia, and Silesia, all located in what is now eastern Germany. In some areas, the name was also spelled as "Noake" or "Noack," reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.
Notable individuals bearing the NOACK surname throughout history include Johann Friedrich Noack (1770-1839), a German theologian and author from Saxony, and Wilhelm Noack (1834-1895), a German architect and city planner who designed several buildings in Berlin and other German cities.
In the 16th century, the name NOACK appeared in the records of the city of Görlitz, located in modern-day eastern Germany near the Polish border. One notable example is Hans Noack, a merchant and citizen of Görlitz who is mentioned in documents from the year 1552.
Another historically significant individual with the NOACK surname was Christoph Noack (1601-1664), a German composer and organist who lived and worked in the city of Dresden during the Baroque period.
During the 19th century, the NOACK name gained prominence in the field of science and academia. One notable figure was Ferdinand Noack (1830-1900), a German geologist and paleontologist who made significant contributions to the study of fossil plants and the geological history of central Europe.
These are just a few examples of individuals bearing the NOACK surname who have left their mark on various fields throughout history, from theology and architecture to music and science. While the name originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora, carrying with it a rich heritage and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Noack
Among Census respondents with the surname Noack, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Noack 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 Noack surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 2,150
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 129
- Two or more races3.2% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 15
- Black or African American0.6% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Noack
Noack 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
#12,156
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,563
+23 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 774 places
2020
#12,385
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,395
-168 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 229 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,382 | 2,540 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,156 | 2,563 | 0.87 | +23 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 774 places |
| 2020 | #12,385 | 2,395 | 0.80 | -168 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 229 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 Noack 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 | #12,156 | #12,385 | -1.9% |
| Count | 2,563 | 2,395 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.80 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Noack bearers went from 2,563 to 2,395 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 229 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,156 to #12,385.
FAQ
Noack surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Noack?
Name Census estimates that about 2,746 living Americans carry the surname Noack. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 124,819 residents.
How common is Noack?
Noack ranks #12,385 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,395 people with the surname Noack. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,746), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Noack.
Has Noack become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Noack went from 2,563 recorded bearers to 2,395. That is a decrease of 168 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,156 to #12,385.
What does the Census say about the background of Noack?
Among Census respondents with the surname Noack, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Noack in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (2,150 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Noack appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Hispanic (5.4%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Noack (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 Noack mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a small boat or vessel, derived from the Middle Low German "nock." 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 Noack (0.80 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 have the surname Noack?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.