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

Nordby, 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 Nordby surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nordby in America

Nordby is the 17798th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nordby surname appeared 1,573 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 Nordby.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nordby 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 Nordby

The surname Nordby originates from Norway, dating back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old Norse words "norðr" meaning "north" and "býr" meaning "farm" or "settlement." The name likely referred to someone who lived at a northern farm or village.

Nordby is found in historical records from various regions of Norway, including Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, and Vestfold. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian medieval documents, from the year 1348, where a man named Syuord Nordby is mentioned.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name was also spelled variations such as Nordbyn, Nordbye, and Nordbøe, reflecting local dialects and spelling conventions of the time. The name is closely associated with the coastal regions of western Norway, where many fishing and farming communities bore the name.

Notable individuals with the surname Nordby include Hans Nordby (1858-1920), a Norwegian educator and politician who served as a member of the Storting (Norwegian parliament). Another prominent figure was Konrad Nordby (1875-1953), a Norwegian-American Lutheran minister and author who played a significant role in the Norwegian-American community.

In the artistic realm, Inger Nordby (1892-1967) was a renowned Norwegian painter and illustrator known for her portraits and landscapes. Her works are held in various Norwegian museums and art collections.

Olav Nordby (1864-1935) was a Norwegian businessman and industrialist who founded the Nordby Shipping Company, which played a crucial role in the development of Norway's maritime industry in the early 20th century.

Another notable figure was Einar Nordby (1884-1964), a Norwegian lawyer and politician who served as the Minister of Justice and the Police from 1928 to 1931.

While the name Nordby is predominantly found in Norway, it has also been carried by Norwegian immigrants and their descendants in other parts of the world, particularly in the United States, Canada, and other countries with significant Norwegian diaspora communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nordby

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

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

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

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