2000
#3,277
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,021
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.71
Uncommon Last name
Nolen
An Irish surname derived from Ó Nualláin, meaning "descendant of Nuallán," a personal name of unknown meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,827 Americans carry the last name Nolen. That puts it at #3,391 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 28,981 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nolen 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
12K
1 in 28,981
Census rank
#3,391
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,314 bearers of the surname Nolen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3391st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nolen, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.8%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nolen
The surname Nolen is believed to have originated in Ireland, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Gaelic personal name "Nualláin," which means "little famous one" or "famous champion." This personal name was likely adopted as a surname during the transition from using patronymics to fixed hereditary surnames in Ireland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nolen can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In this text, a clan chief named Nualláin Ó Ceallaigh is mentioned as having lived in the 14th century. This suggests that the name was well-established in Ireland by that time.
The Nolen surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Sligo and Mayo in the northwestern part of Ireland. Some early recorded spellings of the name include Nollan, Nollin, and Noland, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling that were common in those times.
In the 17th century, during the period of English colonization and plantation of Ireland, many Irish families with the surname Nolen were dispossessed of their lands and dispersed throughout Ireland and beyond. This led to the name spreading to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to North America and other parts of the world.
Notable individuals with the surname Nolen throughout history include:
1. Edmund Nolen (c. 1598 - c. 1660), an Irish soldier who fought for the Catholic Confederacy during the Irish Confederate Wars.
2. John Nolen (1869 - 1937), an American landscape architect and urban planner, known for his work in developing the first comprehensive city plan for San Diego, California.
3. Eleanor Nolen (1898 - 1981), an American poet and author, best known for her children's book "The Life of the Spider."
4. William Nolen (1845 - 1923), an American businessman and politician, who served as the 19th Governor of Idaho.
5. Michael Nolen (born 1964), an American author and screenwriter, best known for his work on the television series "The X-Files" and "Millenium."
While the surname Nolen has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread across the globe, with bearers of the name contributing to various fields, including literature, politics, urban planning, and entertainment.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nolen
Among Census respondents with the surname Nolen, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.8%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Nolen 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 Nolen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.8% · 7,611
- Black or African American16.8% · 1,735
- Two or more races4.9% · 508
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 334
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 73
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 53
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nolen
Nolen 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
#3,315
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,820
+799 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 3.67
Rank movement Down 38 places
2020
#3,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,314
-506 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 3.45
Rank movement Down 76 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,277 | 10,021 | 3.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,315 | 10,820 | 3.67 | +799 bearers (+8.0%) | Down 38 places |
| 2020 | #3,391 | 10,314 | 3.45 | -506 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 76 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 Nolen 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 | #3,315 | #3,391 | -2.3% |
| Count | 10,820 | 10,314 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.67 | 3.45 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nolen bearers went from 10,820 to 10,314 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 76 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,315 to #3,391.
FAQ
Nolen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nolen?
Name Census estimates that about 11,827 living Americans carry the surname Nolen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 28,981 residents.
How common is Nolen?
Nolen ranks #3,391 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.45 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,314 people with the surname Nolen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,827), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.45 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Nolen.
Has Nolen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nolen went from 10,820 recorded bearers to 10,314. That is a decrease of 506 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,315 to #3,391.
What does the Census say about the background of Nolen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nolen, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.8%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Nolen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.8% (7,611 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nolen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.8%), Black (16.8%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Nolen (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 Nolen mean?
An Irish surname derived from Ó Nualláin, meaning "descendant of Nuallán," a personal name of unknown meaning. 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 Nolen (3.45 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 Nolen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.