2000
#113,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 143
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Norelius
A Swedish surname derived from a place name meaning "north meadow".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 156 Americans carry the last name Norelius. That puts it at #130,360 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,197,143 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Norelius 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
156
1 in 2,197,143
Census rank
#130,360
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
136
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 136 bearers of the surname Norelius in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 130360th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Norelius, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Norelius
The surname Norelius originates from Sweden and is believed to have emerged in the late 17th century. It is a patronymic name, derived from the masculine given name Nore or Noor, which in turn comes from the Old Norse word "nordr" meaning "north." This suggests that the name may have been initially used to identify someone who lived in or came from the northern regions of Scandinavia.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Norelius surname appears in the parish records of Västra Eneby, Östergötland, Sweden, in the late 1600s. At that time, the spelling variations included Norelius, Noraelius, and Nohraelius. These variations likely reflect local dialects and the evolution of the name over time.
In the 18th century, the Norelius surname gained prominence with the birth of Erik Norelius (1733-1804), a Swedish Lutheran minister and theologian. He served as a professor at Uppsala University and was known for his contributions to the field of theology.
Another notable individual with the Norelius surname was Carl Fredrik Norelius (1806-1889), a Swedish-American Lutheran minister and author. He immigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century and played a significant role in establishing Swedish Lutheran churches in Minnesota and other parts of the Midwest.
In the late 19th century, Andrew Norelius (1854-1936) was a Swedish-American Lutheran minister and historian. He served as the president of Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, and authored several books on the history of Swedish immigration to the United States.
In the early 20th century, Gustaf Norelius (1879-1952) was a Swedish-American Lutheran minister and educator. He served as the president of Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas, and was instrumental in preserving Swedish cultural traditions in the American Midwest.
While the Norelius surname originated in Sweden, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Swedish immigration to North America and other regions. However, its roots can be traced back to the northern regions of Scandinavia and the Old Norse language, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Norelius
Among Census respondents with the surname Norelius, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Norelius 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 Norelius surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.3% · 116
- Hispanic or Latino6.6% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.4% · 6
- Two or more races2.2% · 3
- Black or African American0.7% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Norelius
Norelius 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
#118,853
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 146
+3 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 5,334 places
2020
#130,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
-10 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 11,507 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #113,519 | 143 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #118,853 | 146 | 0.05 | +3 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 5,334 places |
| 2020 | #130,360 | 136 | 0.05 | -10 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 11,507 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 Norelius 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 | #118,853 | #130,360 | -9.7% |
| Count | 146 | 136 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Norelius bearers went from 146 to 136 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 11,507 positions in the national ranking, going from #118,853 to #130,360.
FAQ
Norelius surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Norelius?
Name Census estimates that about 156 living Americans carry the surname Norelius. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,197,143 residents.
How common is Norelius?
Norelius ranks #130,360 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 136 people with the surname Norelius. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (156), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Norelius.
Has Norelius become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Norelius went from 146 recorded bearers to 136. That is a decrease of 10 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #118,853 to #130,360.
What does the Census say about the background of Norelius?
Among Census respondents with the surname Norelius, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%). 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 Norelius in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.3% (116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Norelius appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.3%), Hispanic (6.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%). 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 Norelius (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 Norelius mean?
A Swedish surname derived from a place name meaning "north meadow". 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 Norelius (0.05 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 last name Norelius?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Norelius on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.