Find out how popular the last name Nora is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Nora.

Nora, 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 Nora surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nora in America

Nora is the 22516th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nora surname appeared 1,142 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 Nora.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nora 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 Nora

The surname NORA has its origins in Ireland, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to be an anglicized form of the Gaelic name "Ó Nualláin," which means "descendant of Nuallán." Nuallán was a personal name derived from the Old Irish word "nuallan," meaning "crying" or "lamenting."

The name NORA was initially concentrated in County Wexford, Ireland, where it is believed to have originated. In ancient Irish records, the name appears in various spellings such as Nolan, Nowlan, and Nuallan.

One of the earliest known references to the NORA name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The annals mention several individuals with the surname, including Fearghal Ó Nualláin, who lived in the 14th century.

In the 16th century, the NORA surname began to appear in English records as families anglicized their names. John Nora, born in County Wexford around 1550, is one of the earliest recorded examples of the anglicized spelling.

Notable individuals with the surname NORA throughout history include:

1. Máire Ní Nualláin (1577-1644), an Irish noblewoman and chieftain of the Ó Nualláin clan in County Wexford.
2. Nicholas Nora (1658-1725), an Irish Catholic priest and philosopher who lived in France during the Penal Laws.
3. James Nora (1782-1867), an Irish-American politician who served as the second Governor of Illinois from 1834 to 1838.
4. Kathleen Nora (1884-1962), an Irish playwright and actress known for her works exploring Irish identity and culture.
5. Michael Nora (1904-1987), an Irish-American writer and journalist who worked for several major newspapers in the United States.

The NORA surname is also associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Norerath and Noralough, which may have derived their names from the same root as the surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nora

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Nora.

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 Nora 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 Nora 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 Nora was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Nora, please contact us.

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