2000
#2,625
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,641
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.69
Uncommon Last name
Noonan
An Irish surname derived from Ó Nuanáin, meaning "descendant of Nuanán," a personal name of unknown meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,555 Americans carry the last name Noonan. That puts it at #2,765 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,549 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Noonan 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Noonan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 23,549
Census rank
#2,765
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,693 bearers of the surname Noonan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2765th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Noonan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Noonan
The surname Noonan has its origins in Ireland, emerging during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "O'Nuadhain," which means "descendant of Nuadhan." Nuadhan was a relatively common given name in ancient Ireland, stemming from the Old Irish word "nuadh," meaning "new" or "fresh."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the year 1063, a figure named Toirdhealbhach O'Nuadhain is mentioned as a chief of the Ui Fiachrach Aidne, a prominent Irish clan based in what is now County Galway.
The Noonan surname is particularly associated with the counties of Galway and Mayo in the western province of Connacht. However, due to migration and the dispersal of Irish families during the 16th and 17th centuries, the name can now be found throughout Ireland and in various parts of the English-speaking world.
An early bearer of the name was Sir John Noonan, a prominent Irish judge and legal scholar who lived during the 16th century. He served as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland from 1568 to 1571 and played a significant role in the development of Irish common law.
Another notable figure was Michael Noonan, an Irish politician and economist who served as Minister for Finance of Ireland from 2011 to 2017. He played a crucial role in guiding Ireland's economic recovery following the global financial crisis of the late 2000s.
In the realm of literature, Kathleen Noonan was an Irish-American novelist and short story writer who lived from 1915 to 2008. Her works often explored themes of Irish-American identity and the immigrant experience.
The name Noonan has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Noonan's Bridge in County Cork and Noonan's Cross in County Tipperary. These place names often derive from the presence of Noonan families in those areas or from significant events or landmarks associated with individuals bearing the surname.
Additionally, the name has been recorded in various historical documents, including the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, which were records of letters patent issued by the English Crown during the Tudor period. These records provide valuable insights into the distribution and activities of Noonan families in Ireland during that time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Noonan
Among Census respondents with the surname Noonan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Noonan 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 Noonan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 11,685
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 420
- Two or more races2.8% · 354
- Black or African American1.0% · 126
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 82
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Noonan
Noonan 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
#2,711
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,286
+645 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 4.50
Rank movement Down 86 places
2020
#2,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,693
-593 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 4.25
Rank movement Down 54 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,625 | 12,641 | 4.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,711 | 13,286 | 4.50 | +645 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 86 places |
| 2020 | #2,765 | 12,693 | 4.25 | -593 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 54 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 Noonan 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 | #2,711 | #2,765 | -2.0% |
| Count | 13,286 | 12,693 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 4.50 | 4.25 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Noonan bearers went from 13,286 to 12,693 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 54 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,711 to #2,765.
FAQ
Noonan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Noonan?
Name Census estimates that about 14,555 living Americans carry the surname Noonan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,549 residents.
How common is Noonan?
Noonan ranks #2,765 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,693 people with the surname Noonan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,555), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Noonan.
Has Noonan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Noonan went from 13,286 recorded bearers to 12,693. That is a decrease of 593 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,711 to #2,765.
What does the Census say about the background of Noonan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Noonan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (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 Noonan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (11,685 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Noonan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (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 Noonan (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 Noonan mean?
An Irish surname derived from Ó Nuanáin, meaning "descendant of Nuanán," 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 Noonan (4.25 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 are called Noonan?
See how common the surname Noonan is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.