Find out how popular the last name Nor is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Nor.

Nor, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Nor surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nor in America

Nor is the 53538th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nor surname appeared 386 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Nor.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nor to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Nor

The surname "NOR" is believed to have originated in Norway during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old Norse word "norðr," which means "north." The name likely originated as a geographic descriptor, referring to someone who lived in the northern part of a particular region or village.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian documents dating back to the 12th century. In this collection, there is a reference to a man named Thorstein Nor, who lived in the early 13th century.

In the 14th century, there are records of a family with the surname Nor living in the town of Bergen, which was a significant trading center during that time. The name is also found in various parish registers and census records from other parts of Norway in the following centuries.

A notable figure with the surname Nor was Ludvig Nor (1801-1876), a Norwegian politician and lawyer who served as the Prime Minister of Norway from 1858 to 1859. Another prominent individual was Hans Nor (1856-1924), a Norwegian author and poet known for his works depicting rural life in Norway.

The name Nor is also found in variations such as Nore, Noren, and Norén, which may have been influenced by local dialects or spelling variations over time. Some of these variations are more common in certain regions of Norway.

In the 19th century, there were several place names in Norway that incorporated the word "nor," such as Nore Land and Nore Sund, which may have contributed to the surname's development in those areas.

Other notable individuals with the surname Nor include Amund Nor (1830-1896), a Norwegian farmer and politician who served in the Storting (Norwegian parliament), and Sigrid Nor (1864-1945), a Norwegian writer and educator who advocated for women's rights and education.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nor

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Nor.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Nor was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Nor has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Nor was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Nor, please contact us.

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