2000
#11,310
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,563
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Noone
Derived from the Irish Ó Nuadháin, meaning "descendant of Nuadhán," a personal name of unknown meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,910 Americans carry the last name Noone. That puts it at #11,799 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,785 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Noone 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 Noone with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 117,785
Census rank
#11,799
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,538 bearers of the surname Noone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11799th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Noone, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Noone
The surname "NOONE" is believed to have originated in Ireland, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Irish Gaelic words "nó" (or) and "aon" (one), suggesting a meaning along the lines of "none" or "no one."
In ancient Irish records, the name was often spelled as "Nóaon" or "Nóón," with variations reflecting regional dialects and scribal conventions. Some of the earliest documented instances of the surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name was Seán Nóaon, a 14th-century chieftain from County Mayo, who was recorded as leading a rebellion against English rule in the region. Another notable figure was Tadhg Nóón, a 16th-century Irish poet and harpist renowned for his compositions celebrating the Gaelic traditions of his homeland.
As the name spread throughout Ireland, it also became associated with certain place names, such as Noone Bridge in County Kilkenny and Noone Abbey in County Westmeath, both of which date back to the Middle Ages. The spelling "NOONE" became more standardized during the 18th and 19th centuries, as Irish families sought to adopt anglicized versions of their surnames.
Among the notable individuals bearing the surname "NOONE" in more recent history were Michael NOONE (1789-1868), an Irish politician and Member of Parliament for County Longford, and John NOONE (1816-1894), a renowned Irish-American architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including St. Patrick's Cathedral.
Other individuals of note include James NOONE (1872-1951), an Irish-American labor leader and co-founder of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and Sir Michael NOONE (1928-2010), a British jurist who served as Lord Justice of Appeal and was knighted for his contributions to the legal profession.
Throughout its history, the surname "NOONE" has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, reflecting the diverse experiences and achievements of those who bear this distinctly Irish name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Noone
Among Census respondents with the surname Noone, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Noone 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 Noone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 2,250
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 129
- Two or more races2.4% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.3% · 59
- Black or African American1.4% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Noone
Noone 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
#11,209
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,820
+257 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Up 101 places
2020
#11,799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,538
-282 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 590 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,310 | 2,563 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,209 | 2,820 | 0.96 | +257 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 101 places |
| 2020 | #11,799 | 2,538 | 0.85 | -282 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 590 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 Noone 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 | #11,209 | #11,799 | -5.3% |
| Count | 2,820 | 2,538 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 0.85 | -11.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Noone bearers went from 2,820 to 2,538 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 590 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,209 to #11,799.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Noone
FAQ
Noone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Noone?
Name Census estimates that about 2,910 living Americans carry the surname Noone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,785 residents.
How common is Noone?
Noone ranks #11,799 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,538 people with the surname Noone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,910), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Noone.
Has Noone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Noone went from 2,820 recorded bearers to 2,538. That is a decrease of 282 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,209 to #11,799.
What does the Census say about the background of Noone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Noone, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Noone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (2,250 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Noone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Noone (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 Noone mean?
Derived from the Irish Ó Nuadháin, meaning "descendant of Nuadhán," 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 Noone (0.85 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 common is the surname Noone?
Find out how many people have the last name Noone on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.