2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Norcom
A locational surname derived from a place name in Normandy, France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Norcom. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Norcom 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Norcom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Norcom, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (7.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Norcom
The surname Norcom is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational surname, derived from a place name, likely from a town or village where the initial bearers resided. One possible origin is from the Old English words "nor" meaning north and "cumb" meaning a valley or hollow, suggesting the name may have referred to someone who lived in a northern valley.
Records show the name appearing in various forms throughout history, such as Norcomb, Norcombe, and Norcom. One of the earliest documented instances is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1170, which mention a Richard de Norcumb. The Pipe Rolls were financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, making this an important historical reference for the surname.
In the 13th century, the name Norcom appears in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, which were administrative records documenting landholdings and services owed to the Crown. This suggests the name was present in different regions of England during this time period.
A notable early bearer of the name was John Norcom, who was born in Oxfordshire around 1380. He served as a member of the English Parliament for the borough of Woodstock in 1404 and 1406, representing the interests of his local community.
Another individual of historical significance was Sir William Norcom, born in Lincolnshire in 1520. He was a prominent military leader during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and played a key role in the English campaigns against the Spanish Armada in 1588.
The Norcom surname also has connections to various place names in England. For instance, the village of Norcombe in Dorset and the hamlet of Norcom in Northumberland both likely share a common origin with the surname.
Throughout the centuries, several other notable individuals have carried the Norcom surname. These include Thomas Norcom, a 17th-century English playwright and poet, and Robert Norcom, a merchant and explorer born in London in 1690, who is known for his travels to the East Indies and the publication of his journals detailing his adventures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Norcom
Among Census respondents with the surname Norcom, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (7.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Norcom 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 Norcom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.4% · 80
- Black or African American7.8% · 8
- Two or more races7.8% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Norcom
Norcom appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 3,677 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 3,677 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 Norcom 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 | #158,432 | #154,755 | 2.3% |
| Count | 102 | 102 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Norcom bearers went from 102 to 102 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 3,677 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #154,755.
FAQ
Norcom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Norcom?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Norcom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Norcom?
Norcom ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 102 people with the surname Norcom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Norcom.
Has Norcom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Norcom went from 102 recorded bearers to 102. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Norcom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Norcom, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (7.8%). 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 Norcom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.4% (80 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Norcom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.4%), Black (7.8%), Two or More Races (7.8%). 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 Norcom (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 Norcom mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name in Normandy, France. 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 Norcom (0.03 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 people have the surname Norcom?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.