2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Noad
A locational surname likely referring to someone from a location called 'Noad'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Noad. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Noad 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Noad with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Noad in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Noad, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.3%. The next largest groups are Black (20.5%) and Two or More Races (17.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Noad
The surname NOAD is of English origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Old English word "nod," meaning a small, rounded hill or a grazing area on high ground. This suggests that the name may have been used as a topographic descriptor for someone who lived near or worked on such a hill or pasture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the NOAD surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, a historical record of taxation from the late 12th century. The rolls mention a Thomas Nod, likely the Latinized version of the surname, indicating its use during this period in the South West of England.
During the 13th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Nod, Nodde, and Nodd, reflecting the phonetic variations common in medieval times. One notable figure from this era was Robert Nodd, a landowner in Oxfordshire, whose name is recorded in the Hundred Rolls of 1273.
As the centuries progressed, the surname evolved into its modern form, NOAD. In the 16th century, records show a William Noad residing in the parish of Weston Subedge, Gloucestershire, highlighting the continued presence of the name in the region.
The NOAD surname has also been associated with several place names, such as Noad's Green in Essex and Noad Hill in Wiltshire, further reinforcing its geographical connections.
Among the notable individuals bearing this surname throughout history are:
1. William Noad (1799-1863), an English architect and surveyor responsible for several buildings in London, including the Tavistock Hotel and the Brompton Consumption Hospital.
2. John Noad (1800-1876), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a prominent hydrographer.
3. Henry Mundy Noad (1815-1889), a British chemist and author known for his contributions to photographic chemistry and his works on electrolysis.
4. Frederick Noad (1872-1939), an English violinist, composer, and music educator who wrote several instructional books on violin playing.
5. Charles Noad (1897-1975), a British painter and etcher renowned for his landscape paintings and etchings of rural scenes in England and Italy.
Through these historical records and notable individuals, the surname NOAD has left an indelible mark on various aspects of English history, from land ownership and military service to architecture, science, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Noad
Among Census respondents with the surname Noad, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.3%. The next largest groups are Black (20.5%) and Two or More Races (17.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Noad 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 Noad surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White45.3% · 53
- Black or African American20.5% · 24
- Two or more races17.1% · 20
- Hispanic or Latino15.4% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Noad
Noad 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-6 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 16,478 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+14 bearers (+13.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,964 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 16,478 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.6%) | Up 12,964 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 Noad 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 | #157,234 | #144,270 | 8.2% |
| Count | 103 | 117 | 13.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 30.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Noad bearers went from 103 to 117 (+13.6% change). The surname moved up 12,964 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #144,270.
FAQ
Noad surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Noad?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Noad. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Noad?
Noad ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Noad. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Noad.
Has Noad become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Noad went from 103 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 14 (+13.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Noad?
Among Census respondents with the surname Noad, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.3%. The next largest groups are Black (20.5%) and Two or More Races (17.1%). 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 Noad in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.3% (53 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Noad appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (45.3%), Black (20.5%), Two or More Races (17.1%). 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 Noad (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 Noad mean?
A locational surname likely referring to someone from a location called 'Noad'. 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 Noad (0.04 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 Noad?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.