2000
#59,293
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 319
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Nobbs
A surname derived from a medieval nickname meaning "snub-nosed" or "flat-nosed" person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 374 Americans carry the last name Nobbs. That puts it at #65,688 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 916,455 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nobbs 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 Nobbs with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
374
1 in 916,455
Census rank
#65,688
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
326
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 326 bearers of the surname Nobbs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 65688th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nobbs, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Black (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nobbs
Among Census respondents with the surname Nobbs, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Black (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Nobbs 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 Nobbs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 308
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 10
- Black or African American1.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
- Two or more races0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nobbs
Nobbs 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
#58,735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 345
+26 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 558 places
2020
#65,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 326
-19 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 6,953 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #59,293 | 319 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #58,735 | 345 | 0.12 | +26 bearers (+8.2%) | Up 558 places |
| 2020 | #65,688 | 326 | 0.11 | -19 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 6,953 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 Nobbs 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 | #58,735 | #65,688 | -11.8% |
| Count | 345 | 326 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.11 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nobbs bearers went from 345 to 326 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 6,953 positions in the national ranking, going from #58,735 to #65,688.
FAQ
Nobbs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nobbs?
Name Census estimates that about 374 living Americans carry the surname Nobbs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 916,455 residents.
How common is Nobbs?
Nobbs ranks #65,688 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 326 people with the surname Nobbs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (374), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Nobbs.
Has Nobbs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nobbs went from 345 recorded bearers to 326. That is a decrease of 19 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #58,735 to #65,688.
What does the Census say about the background of Nobbs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nobbs, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Black (1.2%). 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 Nobbs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (308 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nobbs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Hispanic (3.1%), Black (1.2%). 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 Nobbs (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 Nobbs mean?
A surname derived from a medieval nickname meaning "snub-nosed" or "flat-nosed" person. 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 Nobbs (0.11 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 Nobbs?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.