Nobbs last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Nobbs is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Nobbs.

Meaning of Nobbs

A surname derived from a medieval nickname meaning "snub-nosed" or "flat-nosed" person.

Nobbs, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Nobbs surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nobbs in America

Nobbs is the 58735th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nobbs surname appeared 345 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Nobbs.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nobbs to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 58735 59293 -0.95%
Count 345 319 7.83%
Proportion per 100k 0.12 0.12 0.00%

The history of the last name Nobbs

The surname Nobbs is of English origin, and it dates back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the counties of Devon and Cornwall in the southwestern part of England. The name is derived from a Middle English word, "nobbe," which means "head" or "knob." It likely referred to a person with a distinctive head shape or hairstyle.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nobbs can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Devon from 1327, where a John Nobbe is mentioned. The name also appears in various other historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries, such as the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Cornwall from 1332 and the Feet of Fines for Devon from 1447.

The name Nobbs is closely linked to several place names in Devon and Cornwall, such as Nobbs Hill in the parish of Shebbear, Devon, and Nobbs Park in the parish of Buckland Monachorum, Devon. These place names suggest that the surname may have originated from a specific location or estate.

One notable individual with the surname Nobbs was Robert Nobbs (1652-1706), an English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Huntingdon from 1699 until his death. Another famous bearer of the name was William Nobbs (1789-1869), an English architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Corn Exchange (now demolished) and the Church of St. Martin in the Fields.

Other individuals with the surname Nobbs include John Nobbs (1805-1882), a British politician who served as the Mayor of Falmouth, Cornwall, and George Nobbs (1799-1877), an English architect and surveyor who worked on various projects in London and the surrounding areas.

Thomas Nobbs (1813-1893) was a British architect and surveyor who designed numerous buildings in London, including the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex. He also served as the Surveyor of Bridges for the City of London.

Despite its English origins, the surname Nobbs has spread to other parts of the world, particularly through British emigration and colonization. However, this report focuses solely on the historical origins and development of the surname within England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nobbs

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Nobbs.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Nobbs was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.94% 331
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 1.45% 5

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Nobbs has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.94% 97.18% -1.28%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.00% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 1.45% (S)% (S)%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Nobbs was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Nobbs, please contact us.

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"Nobbs last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/nobbs-surname-popularity/.

"Nobbs last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/nobbs-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Nobbs last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/nobbs-surname-popularity/.

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