2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nolty
An English surname derived from the Old English word meaning "not worthy" or "lowly one".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Nolty. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nolty 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Nolty in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nolty, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nolty
The surname NOLTY is believed to have originated in the region of Normandy, France during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old French words "noal" or "noel," meaning Christmas, and "ty," a diminutive suffix. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone born around the Christmas season.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name NOLTY appears in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Radulfus Nolty residing in the village of Chevington, Suffolk.
In the 13th century, a knight named Sir William NOLTY was documented as serving under King Edward I during the Welsh Wars. He is mentioned in several chronicles of the time, including the Annales Monastici and the Flores Historiarum.
During the 14th century, a monk named Brother John NOLTY was a scribe at the Benedictine monastery in Canterbury. He is credited with transcribing several illuminated manuscripts, some of which are still preserved in the British Library.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname NOLTY was Robert NOLTY (1495-1559), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol. He played a significant role in the city's governance and was instrumental in the construction of several public buildings.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Elizabeth NOLTY (1638-1718), a pioneering female playwright and poet. Her works, including the play "The Lady's Revenge" and the collection "Poems on Various Occasions," were widely acclaimed during the Restoration period.
Throughout the centuries, variations of the spelling have included NOLTIE, NAULTI, and NOALTY, often reflecting regional dialect differences or scribal variations in record-keeping. Additionally, some instances of the name may have been anglicized from similar-sounding French or Norman surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nolty
Among Census respondents with the surname Nolty, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Nolty 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 Nolty surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.2% · 81
- Hispanic or Latino13.9% · 14
- Two or more races4.0% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nolty
Nolty appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-4 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 363 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 363 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 Nolty 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 | #154,907 | #155,270 | -0.2% |
| Count | 105 | 101 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nolty bearers went from 105 to 101 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 363 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #155,270.
FAQ
Nolty surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nolty?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Nolty. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Nolty?
Nolty ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Nolty. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Nolty.
Has Nolty become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nolty went from 105 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #154,907 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Nolty?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nolty, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Nolty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.2% (81 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nolty appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.2%), Hispanic (13.9%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Nolty (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 Nolty mean?
An English surname derived from the Old English word meaning "not worthy" or "lowly one". 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 Nolty (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Nolty?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.