Find out how popular the last name Noj is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Noj.

Noj, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Noj surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Noj in America

Noj is the 144141st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Noj surname appeared 115 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Noj.

The history of the last name Noj

The surname NOJ has its origins in the Basque region of northern Spain and southern France, emerging in the 11th century CE. It is derived from the Basque word "noka," meaning "quarrel" or "dispute," suggesting the name may have referred to an argumentative or quarrelsome individual.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name NOJ appears in the medieval Codex Calixtinus from the 12th century, a collection of texts related to the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. The name is mentioned in reference to a landowner in the town of Noja, a coastal village in the Cantabrian region of Spain.

The NOJ surname is also found in various Basque-language documents from the 13th and 14th centuries, often in reference to individuals from the towns of Noja and Noja de Losa in the province of Burgos, Spain. These place names are believed to be related to the surname's origin, as they may have served as descriptive nicknames for people hailing from those areas.

One notable figure bearing the NOJ surname was Martín de Noja (c. 1450-1518), a Spanish navigator and cartographer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his third voyage to the Americas in 1498. He is credited with creating some of the earliest maps of the Caribbean islands and the coastlines of Central and South America.

In the 16th century, the NOJ surname appears in records related to the Spanish conquest of the Americas, with several individuals bearing the name participating in various expeditions and settlements. For instance, Pedro de Noja (1520-1592) was a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico and later served as a colonial administrator in New Spain (present-day Mexico).

Another notable figure was Juan de Noja (c. 1530-1595), a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the expeditions of Pedro de Valdivia and García Hurtado de Mendoza in the conquest of Chile. He is known for his role in founding several settlements in present-day Chile and for his encounters with indigenous Mapuche communities.

As the NOJ surname spread beyond the Basque region and into other parts of Spain and the Americas, variations in spelling emerged, including Noja, Noxa, and Noxo. However, the core Basque origins and early associations with specific locations in northern Spain remain central to the history and meaning of this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Noj

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Noj.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Noj was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Noj was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Noj, please contact us.

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