2000
#784
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,217
First available Census row
Per 100,000 14.91
Uncommon Last name
Noble
An aristocratic surname indicating a person of high social ranking or noble birth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 46,309 Americans carry the last name Noble. That puts it at #838 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,401 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Noble 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 Noble with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
46K
1 in 7,401
Census rank
#838
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
40K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 40,384 bearers of the surname Noble in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 838th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Noble, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Noble
The surname Noble originated in France and England during the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old French and Anglo-Norman words "noble" and "nobile," meaning someone of noble birth, high rank, or superior character. The name was initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone who exhibited these qualities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Noble can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named Ricardus le Noble in Suffolk.
In the 12th century, the name Noble appeared in various records across England and France. For example, a Norman noble named Richard le Noble was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1166. Another notable bearer of the name was Sir John Noble, who served as a knight and ambassador for King Edward III of England in the 14th century.
During the Middle Ages, the Noble surname was also associated with various places in England, such as Noble's Green in Hertfordshire and Noble's Park in Wiltshire. These place names may have contributed to the surname's spread and regional variations in spelling, including Nobyll, Nobell, and Nobble.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the Noble surname in Scotland dates back to the 15th century, with the mention of John Noble of Ferme in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1456. Another notable Scottish bearer of the name was Andrew Noble, a prominent minister and theologian born in 1632.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Noble surname, including:
1. Michael Noble (1618-1684), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
2. John Noble (1725-1807), an American soldier and political leader who served as a brigadier general during the American Revolutionary War.
3. Alfred Noble (1844-1914), a Swedish engineer and industrialist who founded the Nobel Prize and invented dynamite.
4. John Willock Noble (1831-1912), an American politician who served as the Secretary of the Interior under President Benjamin Harrison.
5. Michael Noble (1944-1995), an American actor best known for his roles in films such as Dances with Wolves and Thunderheart.
The surname Noble has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been borne by individuals from various backgrounds, including nobility, clergy, scientists, politicians, and entertainers. Its origins and meaning reflect the aspirations and qualities associated with nobility and high moral character.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Noble
Among Census respondents with the surname Noble, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Noble 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 Noble surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.8% · 30,226
- Black or African American13.9% · 5,631
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 1,881
- Two or more races4.0% · 1,604
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 774
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 268
Timeline
Historical Census data for Noble
Noble 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
#829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 41,667
+1,450 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 14.13
Rank movement Down 45 places
2020
#838
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,384
-1,283 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 13.51
Rank movement Down 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #784 | 40,217 | 14.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #829 | 41,667 | 14.13 | +1,450 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 45 places |
| 2020 | #838 | 40,384 | 13.51 | -1,283 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 9 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 Noble 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 | #829 | #838 | -1.1% |
| Count | 41,667 | 40,384 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 14.13 | 13.51 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Noble bearers went from 41,667 to 40,384 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #829 to #838.
FAQ
Noble surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Noble?
Name Census estimates that about 46,309 living Americans carry the surname Noble. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,401 residents.
How common is Noble?
Noble ranks #838 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 14 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 40,384 people with the surname Noble. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (46,309), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 14 of them to have the surname Noble.
Has Noble become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Noble went from 41,667 recorded bearers to 40,384. That is a decrease of 1,283 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #829 to #838.
What does the Census say about the background of Noble?
Among Census respondents with the surname Noble, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Noble in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.8% (30,226 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Noble appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.8%), Black (13.9%), Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Noble (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 Noble mean?
An aristocratic surname indicating a person of high social ranking or noble birth. 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 Noble (13.51 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 Noble?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.