2000
#12,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,271
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Norby
A Scandinavian habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "northern village" or "northern settlement."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,400 Americans carry the last name Norby. That puts it at #13,826 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 142,814 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Norby 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.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 142,814
Census rank
#13,826
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,093 bearers of the surname Norby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13826th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Norby, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Norby
Among Census respondents with the surname Norby, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Norby 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 Norby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 1,925
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 64
- Two or more races2.5% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 17
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Norby
Norby 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
#13,267
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,299
+28 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 756 places
2020
#13,826
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,093
-206 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 559 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,511 | 2,271 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,267 | 2,299 | 0.78 | +28 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 756 places |
| 2020 | #13,826 | 2,093 | 0.70 | -206 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 559 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 Norby 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 | #13,267 | #13,826 | -4.2% |
| Count | 2,299 | 2,093 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.70 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Norby bearers went from 2,299 to 2,093 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 559 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,267 to #13,826.
FAQ
Norby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Norby?
Name Census estimates that about 2,400 living Americans carry the surname Norby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 142,814 residents.
How common is Norby?
Norby ranks #13,826 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,093 people with the surname Norby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,400), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Norby.
Has Norby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Norby went from 2,299 recorded bearers to 2,093. That is a decrease of 206 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,267 to #13,826.
What does the Census say about the background of Norby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Norby, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Norby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (1,925 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Norby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Norby (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 Norby mean?
A Scandinavian habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "northern village" or "northern settlement." 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 Norby (0.70 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 many Americans have the surname Norby?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.