2010
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nool
A Dutch surname meaning "noon" or "midday".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Nool. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nool 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Nool in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nool, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.4%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nool
The surname NOOL is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old English word "nol," which referred to a hilltop or a rounded summit. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near or on a hill or a raised landform.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname NOOL can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from the year 1273, where it appears as "William de Nole." This document was a census-like survey conducted in England during the reign of King Edward I.
In the 14th century, the surname NOOL appeared in various forms, such as "Nolle," "Nolles," and "Noles," reflecting the phonetic variations of the time. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 mention a "Ricardus de Nolle," indicating the presence of the surname in that region.
The NOOL surname is also connected to several place names in England, including Nole Hill in Somerset and Noles Green in Gloucestershire. These place names likely derived from the Old English word "nol," further reinforcing the geographic association of the surname.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname NOOL was John Nool, born in 1492 in Warwickshire. He was a prominent merchant and landowner during the Tudor period. Another notable figure was William Nool (1563-1622), a clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Easton Neston in Northamptonshire.
In the 17th century, the NOOL surname was found in various records, such as the Parish Registers of Gloucestershire, where a marriage between Thomas Nool and Elizabeth Harding was recorded in 1637. The surname also appeared in the Hearth Tax Rolls of Worcestershire in 1672, indicating the presence of families with this name in the region.
One remarkable individual with the NOOL surname was Sir Edward Nool (1647-1711), a successful merchant and Member of Parliament for the City of London. He played a significant role in the establishment of the Bank of England and was knighted for his contributions to the financial sector.
Another notable figure was Mary Nool (1718-1799), a renowned author and poet from Gloucestershire. Her collection of poems, titled "Verses from the Cotswolds," was widely praised and celebrated during her lifetime.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the NOOL surname continued to be found in various records across England, with families bearing this name residing in counties such as Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nool
Among Census respondents with the surname Nool, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.4%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Nool 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 Nool surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander87.6% · 99
- White4.4% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 5
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nool
Nool 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
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-16 bearers (-12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,842 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.4%) | Down 15,842 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 Nool 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 | #131,379 | #147,221 | -12.1% |
| Count | 129 | 113 | -12.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nool bearers went from 129 to 113 (-12.4% change). The surname moved down 15,842 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #147,221.
FAQ
Nool surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nool?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Nool. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Nool?
Nool ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 113 people with the surname Nool. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Nool.
Has Nool become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nool went from 129 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 16 (-12.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Nool?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nool, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.4%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Nool in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nool appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (87.6%), White (4.4%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Nool (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 Nool mean?
A Dutch surname meaning "noon" or "midday". 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 Nool (0.04 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 share the surname Nool?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.