2000
#18,025
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,427
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.53
Rare Last name
Noh
A Korean surname derived from the Hanja character meaning "old," "aged," or "elderly."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,176 Americans carry the last name Noh. That puts it at #10,976 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,920 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Noh 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
3.2K
1 in 107,920
Census rank
#10,976
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,770 bearers of the surname Noh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10976th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Noh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.3%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Noh
The surname NOH is of German origin, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "noch," which meant "yet" or "still." The name was initially found in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where it was commonly used as a nickname or descriptive surname for someone who was persistent or stubborn.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name NOH can be found in the parish records of the town of Nuremberg in 1542, where a certain Hans NOH is mentioned as a landowner. The name also appears in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, dating back to the late 15th century.
In the 17th century, the name NOH was associated with a prominent family of merchants and bankers in the city of Hamburg. Johann NOH (1612-1687) was a successful trader and founded the NOH & Söhne trading company, which became one of the largest commercial enterprises in Northern Germany at the time.
Another notable figure with the surname NOH was Heinrich NOH (1758-1836), a German theologian and philosopher from Leipzig. He was a prominent figure in the German Enlightenment movement and wrote several influential works on ethics and moral philosophy.
In the 19th century, the name NOH gained recognition through the works of the German poet and playwright, Friedrich NOH (1819-1890). He is often regarded as one of the most significant figures in the Romantic movement in German literature and is best known for his poetic dramas, including "Der Taucher" and "Das Lied der Glocke."
During the same period, Karl NOH (1825-1901) was a renowned German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Reichstag and the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. His works were instrumental in shaping the architectural landscape of the city during the late 19th century.
The surname NOH has also been associated with various places and locations throughout Germany. For instance, the village of Nohfelden in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate is believed to have derived its name from the NOH family, who were prominent landowners in the region during the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Noh
Among Census respondents with the surname Noh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.3%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Noh 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 Noh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander89.3% · 2,473
- White4.1% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 113
- Black or African American1.3% · 35
- Two or more races1.2% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Noh
Noh 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
#12,720
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,427
+1,000 bearers (+70.1%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Up 5,305 places
2020
#10,976
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,770
+343 bearers (+14.1%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Up 1,744 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,025 | 1,427 | 0.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,720 | 2,427 | 0.82 | +1,000 bearers (+70.1%) | Up 5,305 places |
| 2020 | #10,976 | 2,770 | 0.93 | +343 bearers (+14.1%) | Up 1,744 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 Noh 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 | #12,720 | #10,976 | 13.7% |
| Count | 2,427 | 2,770 | 14.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.93 | 13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Noh bearers went from 2,427 to 2,770 (+14.1% change). The surname moved up 1,744 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,720 to #10,976.
FAQ
Noh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Noh?
Name Census estimates that about 3,176 living Americans carry the surname Noh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,920 residents.
How common is Noh?
Noh ranks #10,976 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,770 people with the surname Noh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,176), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Noh.
Has Noh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Noh went from 2,427 recorded bearers to 2,770. That is an increase of 343 (+14.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,720 to #10,976.
What does the Census say about the background of Noh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Noh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.3%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Noh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (2,473 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Noh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (89.3%), White (4.1%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Noh (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 Noh mean?
A Korean surname derived from the Hanja character meaning "old," "aged," or "elderly." 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 Noh (0.93 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 common is the surname Noh?
If you just want to know how many people are called Noh, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.