2000
#68,973
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 266
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Nonn
A rare surname of unknown origin, potentially derived from a nickname or place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 287 Americans carry the last name Nonn. That puts it at #81,574 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,194,266 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nonn 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
287
1 in 1,194,266
Census rank
#81,574
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
250
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 250 bearers of the surname Nonn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 81574th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nonn, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nonn
The surname NONN originated in Germany during the late medieval period, likely derived from the Low German word "non" or "none," which referred to a member of a religious order or a nun. The name may have been bestowed upon individuals who lived near monasteries or convents, or had some association with religious communities.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various records from the regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia in northern Germany. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes Nonn, a monk mentioned in a charter from the Cistercian monastery of Marienfeld, dated 1287.
The NONN surname can be traced back to several place names in Germany, such as Nonnenbaumhof and Nonnenhausen, which indicate a connection to religious establishments. Variations in spelling, like Nonn, Nonnen, and Nunn, were common in historical documents due to regional dialects and scribal inconsistencies.
Notable individuals bearing the NONN surname include:
1. Peter Nonn (c. 1470-1525), a German sculptor and woodcarver active in Kalkar and Xanten during the Renaissance period.
2. Johann Nonn (1551-1608), a German mathematician and astronomer who served as the court mathematician to the Elector of Saxony.
3. Georg Nonn (1663-1736), a German composer and organist known for his contributions to baroque church music.
4. Christoph Friedrich Nonn (1738-1812), a German engraver and illustrator who produced works for publications on natural history and botany.
5. Johann Nonn (1816-1893), a German-American artist and lithographer who documented life in early Texas through his sketches and paintings.
While the NONN surname may have originated from a religious context, it eventually became a common family name among the general population in various parts of Germany, and later spread to other regions through migration and emigration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nonn
Among Census respondents with the surname Nonn, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Nonn 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 Nonn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 227
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 7
- Two or more races2.0% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nonn
Nonn 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
#81,181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 233
-33 bearers (-12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 12,208 places
2020
#81,574
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 250
+17 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 393 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #68,973 | 266 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #81,181 | 233 | 0.08 | -33 bearers (-12.4%) | Down 12,208 places |
| 2020 | #81,574 | 250 | 0.08 | +17 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 393 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 Nonn 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 | #81,181 | #81,574 | -0.5% |
| Count | 233 | 250 | 7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.08 | 4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nonn bearers went from 233 to 250 (+7.3% change). The surname moved down 393 positions in the national ranking, going from #81,181 to #81,574.
FAQ
Nonn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nonn?
Name Census estimates that about 287 living Americans carry the surname Nonn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,194,266 residents.
How common is Nonn?
Nonn ranks #81,574 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 250 people with the surname Nonn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (287), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Nonn.
Has Nonn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nonn went from 233 recorded bearers to 250. That is an increase of 17 (+7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #81,181 to #81,574.
What does the Census say about the background of Nonn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nonn, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%). 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 Nonn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (227 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nonn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (3.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%). 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 Nonn (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 Nonn mean?
A rare surname of unknown origin, potentially derived from a nickname or place name. 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 Nonn (0.08 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 last name Nonn?
If you just want to know how many people are called Nonn, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.