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

Norah, 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 Norah surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Norah in America

Norah is the 92358th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Norah surname appeared 199 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 Norah.

We can also compare 2010 data for Norah 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 Norah

The surname Norah originated in Ireland and Scotland, derived from the Irish Gaelic word "Nuadha" or "Nua", meaning "new" or "fresh". It first appeared in written records as early as the 11th century.

In Ireland, the name was initially found in County Mayo, where it was anglicized from the Gaelic "O'Nuadha" or "O'Nuadhain". The first recorded instance of this spelling was in the Annals of Ulster in 1021, referring to a chieftain named Gilla-na-naemh O'Nuadhain.

The Scottish variant, "Norie" or "Nory", emerged in the 13th century in Aberdeenshire. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic phrase "an uair", meaning "the time" or "the hour", referring to a person's punctuality or timeliness.

One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Norah was Fergus Norah, a Scottish landowner who lived in Aberdeenshire in the late 14th century. His name was recorded in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1379.

In England, the name appeared as "Norreys" or "Norris" in the 15th century, possibly originating from the Old French word "norri", meaning "to nourish" or "to nurture". Sir John Norreys (c. 1400-1468) was a prominent English soldier and landowner during the Wars of the Roses.

Another notable figure was James Norah (1736-1807), an Irish poet and writer from County Mayo, best known for his collection of Gaelic poetry, "Cruit an Chroidhe" (The Harp of the Heart).

In the 19th century, Margaret Norah (1819-1888) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, whose works often explored themes of social injustice and the plight of women in Victorian society.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Norah in North America was John Norah, an Irish immigrant who settled in Philadelphia in the early 18th century. His descendants can be traced through various historical records in Pennsylvania and neighboring states.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Norah

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

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

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

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