2000
#6,368
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,923
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.82
Rare Last name
Noah
A biblical name referring to the patriarch who built the ark during the Great Flood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,801 Americans carry the last name Noah. That puts it at #6,459 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 59,085 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Noah 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 Noah with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.8K
1 in 59,085
Census rank
#6,459
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,059 bearers of the surname Noah in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6459th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Noah, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Noah
The surname NOAH is of Hebrew origin, deriving from the Biblical figure Noah, whose name means "rest" or "comfort" in Hebrew. It is believed to have been adopted as a surname by Jewish families, particularly in Eastern Europe, during the late Middle Ages when surnames were becoming more common.
NOAH traces its roots to the ancient Hebrew language and the Old Testament, where Noah is the central figure in the story of the Great Flood. As a surname, it first appeared in historical records in the 15th and 16th centuries, primarily in Jewish communities across Eastern Europe, including Poland, Russia, and Ukraine.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname NOAH can be found in the Pinkas Kehillat Krakow, a record book of the Jewish community in Krakow, Poland, dating back to the late 15th century. The document mentions a certain Judah ben Noah, suggesting the use of NOAH as a patronymic surname.
In the 17th century, the surname NOAH was documented in various Jewish communities across Europe, including in the Netherlands, where a prominent rabbi and scholar, Jacob Noah, lived in Amsterdam (1635-1695). Another notable figure from this period was Jacob Noah Segal (1670-1740), a Polish-born rabbi and author.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the NOAH surname spread beyond Jewish communities as some families adopted it as a non-Jewish surname, particularly in parts of Germany and England. One notable example is the English painter, John Noah (1780-1835), who was born in Yorkshire and exhibited his works at the Royal Academy.
Other historical figures bearing the surname NOAH include:
1. Mordecai Manuel Noah (1785-1851), an American playwright, journalist, and diplomat, known for his efforts to establish a Jewish homeland on Grand Island, New York.
2. Joseph Noah (1835-1909), a British-born Australian politician and businessman who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council.
3. Mordecai Noah (1868-1940), an American lawyer and judge who served as a judge in the New York Supreme Court.
4. Noah Beery Sr. (1884-1946), an American actor and patriarch of the Beery acting family, known for his roles in numerous silent films and early sound pictures.
While the surname NOAH has its roots in the Hebrew language and Jewish heritage, it has since been adopted by families across various cultures and ethnicities, carrying with it a rich historical significance and biblical connection.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Noah
Among Census respondents with the surname Noah, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Noah 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 Noah surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.2% · 3,854
- Black or African American8.9% · 451
- Two or more races4.6% · 234
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 231
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.4% · 174
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.3% · 115
Timeline
Historical Census data for Noah
Noah 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
#6,384
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,332
+409 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 1.81
Rank movement Down 16 places
2020
#6,459
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,059
-273 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.69
Rank movement Down 75 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,368 | 4,923 | 1.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,384 | 5,332 | 1.81 | +409 bearers (+8.3%) | Down 16 places |
| 2020 | #6,459 | 5,059 | 1.69 | -273 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 75 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 Noah 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 | #6,384 | #6,459 | -1.2% |
| Count | 5,332 | 5,059 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.81 | 1.69 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Noah bearers went from 5,332 to 5,059 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 75 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,384 to #6,459.
FAQ
Noah surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Noah?
Name Census estimates that about 5,801 living Americans carry the surname Noah. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 59,085 residents.
How common is Noah?
Noah ranks #6,459 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,059 people with the surname Noah. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,801), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Noah.
Has Noah become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Noah went from 5,332 recorded bearers to 5,059. That is a decrease of 273 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,384 to #6,459.
What does the Census say about the background of Noah?
Among Census respondents with the surname Noah, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Noah in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.2% (3,854 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Noah appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.2%), Black (8.9%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Noah (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 Noah mean?
A biblical name referring to the patriarch who built the ark during the Great Flood. 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 Noah (1.69 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 Americans have the surname Noah?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.