2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nobiling
A surname derived from a German occupational name for a needle maker or a person who made needles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Nobiling. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nobiling 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Nobiling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nobiling, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nobiling
The surname Nobiling is believed to have originated in Germany, possibly as early as the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "nobil," meaning noble or aristocratic, suggesting that the name may have been initially bestowed upon someone of noble birth or status.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, which date back to the 14th century. These records mention a certain Hans Nobiling, who was a respected merchant and landowner in the region.
In the 16th century, the Nobiling name appears in various historical documents related to the Protestant Reformation. A notable figure of this time was Johannes Nobiling (1495-1558), a Lutheran theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the spread of Protestantism in northern Germany.
The Nobiling surname is also associated with the city of Hamburg, where a prominent family bearing this name resided in the 17th and 18th centuries. One of the most illustrious members of this family was Gottfried Nobiling (1668-1734), a highly regarded jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the city's court system.
Another notable individual with the Nobiling surname was Johann Friedrich Nobiling (1793-1868), a German painter and art professor who taught at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts. His works, which often depicted landscapes and scenes from everyday life, are still highly regarded in the art world today.
In the 19th century, the Nobiling name gained further recognition with the achievements of Carl Nobiling (1848-1935), a pioneering German engineer and inventor. He is best known for his contributions to the development of the internal combustion engine and is credited with several patents related to engine design and construction.
Throughout history, the Nobiling surname has been associated with individuals from various professions and walks of life, ranging from academics and artists to scientists and entrepreneurs. While the exact origin of the name may be shrouded in obscurity, its enduring presence across centuries serves as a testament to the rich cultural heritage of Germany and the lasting impact of those who bore this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nobiling
Among Census respondents with the surname Nobiling, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Nobiling 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 Nobiling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 95
- Two or more races3.0% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nobiling
Nobiling appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-8 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,150 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 4,150 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 Nobiling 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 | #151,532 | #155,682 | -2.7% |
| Count | 108 | 100 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nobiling bearers went from 108 to 100 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 4,150 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #155,682.
FAQ
Nobiling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nobiling?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Nobiling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Nobiling?
Nobiling ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Nobiling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Nobiling.
Has Nobiling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nobiling went from 108 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Nobiling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nobiling, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%). 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 Nobiling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nobiling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Two or More Races (3.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%). 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 Nobiling (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 Nobiling mean?
A surname derived from a German occupational name for a needle maker or a person who made needles. 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 Nobiling (0.03 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 Nobiling?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.