2000
#6,727
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,623
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.71
Rare Last name
Nord
A toponymic surname indicating a person from the north or a northern place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,977 Americans carry the last name Nord. That puts it at #7,410 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nord 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
5.0K
1 in 68,868
Census rank
#7,410
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,340 bearers of the surname Nord in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7410th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nord, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nord
The surname NORD originated in Germany, and it is believed to have derived from the German word "nord," which means "north." This name likely emerged during the Middle Ages, between the 5th and 15th centuries, when many surnames began to take shape in Europe.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the NORD surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the 9th to the 13th centuries, where it is mentioned in a document dated 1272. This suggests that the NORD family may have been present in the northern regions of Germany at that time.
Another historical reference to the NORD surname can be found in the Lübecker Oberstadtbuch, a record book from the city of Lübeck, Germany, which dates back to the 14th century. This book contains entries related to various families and individuals, including those with the surname NORD.
One notable individual with the NORD surname was Johann Nord (1547-1623), a German composer and organist who lived during the Renaissance period. He was born in Lübeck and served as the organist at the Lübecker Marienkirche, one of the city's main churches.
Another prominent figure was Heinrich Nord (1815-1876), a German politician and lawyer. He was born in Hamburg and later became a member of the Prussian House of Representatives, representing the city of Frankfurt (Oder) in the 1860s.
In the 19th century, Carl Nord (1835-1892) was a German naval officer and explorer who participated in several expeditions to the Arctic region. He was born in Rostock and is known for his contributions to the mapping and exploration of the northern polar regions.
Later, in the early 20th century, Theodor Nord (1878-1945) was a German architect and urban planner. He was born in Berlin and is recognized for his work in the design and development of several residential and commercial buildings in the city.
Another notable individual was Max Nord (1890-1958), a German businessman and industrialist. He was born in Düsseldorf and played a significant role in the development of the steel industry in the Ruhr region of Germany during the early to mid-20th century.
While the NORD surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and various European countries, due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nord
Among Census respondents with the surname Nord, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Nord 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 Nord surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.7% · 3,720
- Black or African American5.6% · 244
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 169
- Two or more races3.5% · 152
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nord
Nord 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
#7,204
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,635
+12 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Down 477 places
2020
#7,410
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,340
-295 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 206 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,727 | 4,623 | 1.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,204 | 4,635 | 1.57 | +12 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 477 places |
| 2020 | #7,410 | 4,340 | 1.45 | -295 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 206 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 Nord 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 | #7,204 | #7,410 | -2.9% |
| Count | 4,635 | 4,340 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.57 | 1.45 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nord bearers went from 4,635 to 4,340 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 206 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,204 to #7,410.
FAQ
Nord surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nord?
Name Census estimates that about 4,977 living Americans carry the surname Nord. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,868 residents.
How common is Nord?
Nord ranks #7,410 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.45 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 4,340 people with the surname Nord. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,977), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.45 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 Nord.
Has Nord become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nord went from 4,635 recorded bearers to 4,340. That is a decrease of 295 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,204 to #7,410.
What does the Census say about the background of Nord?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nord, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Nord in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.7% (3,720 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nord appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.7%), Black (5.6%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Nord (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 Nord mean?
A toponymic surname indicating a person from the north or a northern place. 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 Nord (1.45 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 common is the surname Nord?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Nord at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.