2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Noonchester
An occupational surname referring to someone from the English town of Nunchurcester.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Noonchester. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Noonchester 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Noonchester in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Noonchester, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Noonchester
The surname Noonchester has its origins in the medieval English county of Cheshire, in the village of Noonchester near the city of Chester. The name is believed to have derived from the Old English words "non" meaning "noon" and "ceaster" meaning "city" or "Roman town." This suggests that the village may have been named for its location near the city of Chester during the Roman occupation of Britain.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Noonchester can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Nunecestre." This entry indicates that the village was part of the lands held by the Earl of Chester at the time of the Norman conquest.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as "Nonecestre," "Nunecestre," and "Nonchester" in local records and charters. During this period, a notable figure named Richard de Noonchester was mentioned in the Cheshire Pipe Rolls of 1260, suggesting that the family had established itself in the area by that time.
By the 14th century, the spelling had largely settled on "Noonchester," as evidenced by the records of John Noonchester, a merchant who traded in the nearby city of Chester in the 1370s. Another individual of note was William Noonchester, who served as a bailiff in the village in the early 1400s.
In the 16th century, the Noonchester family continued to hold land in the area, and several members were involved in local government and religious affairs. One such figure was Thomas Noonchester (1512-1586), who served as a churchwarden in the village church of St. Mary's.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, the Noonchester name appeared in the records of the local militia, with several members of the family fighting on the Parliamentarian side. One notable figure from this period was Captain Henry Noonchester (1620-1678), who participated in the siege of Chester in 1645.
As the centuries passed, the Noonchester family remained rooted in the area, with various members pursuing careers in agriculture, trade, and local government. By the 19th century, the name had spread to other parts of England and Wales, with some individuals emigrating to the United States and other parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Noonchester
Among Census respondents with the surname Noonchester, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Noonchester 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 Noonchester surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Noonchester
Noonchester 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-5 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,665 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-17 bearers (-14.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 15,286 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 12,665 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -17 bearers (-14.0%) | Down 15,286 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 Noonchester 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 | #138,304 | #153,590 | -11.1% |
| Count | 121 | 104 | -14.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Noonchester bearers went from 121 to 104 (-14.0% change). The surname moved down 15,286 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #153,590.
FAQ
Noonchester surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Noonchester?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Noonchester. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Noonchester?
Noonchester ranks #153,590 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 104 people with the surname Noonchester. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), 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 Noonchester.
Has Noonchester become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Noonchester went from 121 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 17 (-14.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Noonchester?
Among Census respondents with the surname Noonchester, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Noonchester in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Noonchester appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (3.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Noonchester (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 Noonchester mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone from the English town of Nunchurcester. 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 Noonchester (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 people have the surname Noonchester?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.