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

Norby, 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 Norby surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Norby in America

Norby is the 13267th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Norby surname appeared 2,299 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Norby.

We can also compare 2010 data for Norby 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 Norby

The surname Norby has its origins in Scandinavia, most likely originating from Norway. It is believed to have derived from the Old Norse words "norðr" meaning "north" and "býr" meaning "settlement" or "village". This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived in a northern village or settlement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Norby can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian medieval documents dating back to the 13th century. In these records, the name is spelled "Norðbýr" or "Norbyr".

During the Viking Age, many Scandinavians ventured out and settled in various parts of Europe, including the British Isles. It is possible that the name Norby was introduced to these regions during this time period, as evidenced by its appearance in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror.

One notable individual with the surname Norby was Niels Norby, a Danish sailor and explorer who lived in the late 16th century. He is known for his expedition to Greenland in 1588, where he explored the island's western coast and reported on the living conditions of the Inuit people.

Another prominent figure was Erling Norby, a Norwegian politician who served as the Minister of Agriculture from 1891 to 1893. He was born in 1833 and played a significant role in promoting and developing Norwegian agriculture during the late 19th century.

In the literary world, Johanne Norby (1858-1928) was a Norwegian author and playwright. She wrote several novels and plays that explored social issues and the lives of women in Norway during her time.

The name Norby can also be found in connection with various place names across Scandinavia, such as Norby in Denmark and Norbyn in Sweden. These place names likely derived from the same Old Norse roots as the surname, indicating settlements or villages located in northern regions.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Tord Norby, a Norwegian landowner mentioned in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum in the early 13th century. Another notable individual was Niels Norby, a Danish merchant and ship owner who lived in the 17th century and was involved in the lucrative trade between Denmark and Iceland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Norby

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

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

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

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