2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nocar
A name likely derived from the Latin word "nocere" meaning "to harm" or "to injure".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Nocar. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nocar 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Nocar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nocar, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nocar
The surname NOCAR originated in the region of Catalonia in northeastern Spain during the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Catalan word "nocar," which means "to damage" or "to harm." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname for someone who was known for causing harm or damage, perhaps in a military or warlike context.
The earliest recorded instances of the name NOCAR can be found in medieval Catalan documents and records from the 12th and 13th centuries. One notable example is the mention of a certain Ramon Nocar in a land deed dated 1235 from the town of Vilafranca del Penedès.
In the 14th century, the NOCAR surname began to spread beyond Catalonia to other parts of Spain, particularly the neighboring regions of Aragon and Valencia. This was likely due to migration and the movement of people during this period.
One of the earliest known bearers of the NOCAR surname was Pere Nocar, a knight who lived in the city of Valencia in the late 14th century. He is mentioned in several historical records from that time, including a chronicle detailing his participation in a military campaign against the Kingdom of Aragon in 1382.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the NOCAR surname continued to be present in various parts of Spain, particularly in the regions of Catalonia, Valencia, and Aragon. Notable individuals with this surname from this time period include Jaume Nocar, a merchant from Barcelona who was involved in trade with Italy in the early 16th century, and Francesc Nocar, a renowned painter from Valencia who lived from 1520 to 1585.
As the Spanish Empire expanded across the globe during the 16th and 17th centuries, the NOCAR surname likely traveled with colonists and explorers to the Americas and other parts of the world. One example of this is Juan Nocar, a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century under Hernán Cortés.
Throughout the centuries, the NOCAR surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Nocar, Nocar, Nocart, and Nocarte. These variations can be found in historical documents and records from different regions and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nocar
Among Census respondents with the surname Nocar, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Nocar 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 Nocar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nocar
Nocar 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,720 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 361 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 7,720 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 361 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 Nocar 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 | #152,628 | #152,989 | -0.2% |
| Count | 107 | 105 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nocar bearers went from 107 to 105 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 361 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #152,989.
FAQ
Nocar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nocar?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Nocar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Nocar?
Nocar ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 105 people with the surname Nocar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Nocar.
Has Nocar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nocar went from 107 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Nocar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nocar, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Nocar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nocar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (7.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Nocar (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 Nocar mean?
A name likely derived from the Latin word "nocere" meaning "to harm" or "to injure". 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 Nocar (0.04 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 are called Nocar?
You can see how common the surname Nocar is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.