2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Norgrove
A locational surname referring to someone from the northern grove or wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Norgrove. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Norgrove 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Norgrove with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Norgrove in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Norgrove, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Hispanic (7.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Norgrove
The surname NORGROVE is of English origin, with roots tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "norþ" (meaning north) and "grāf" (a grove or small wood), indicating that the name may have originated from a family residing in a northern grove or woodland area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the NORGROVE surname can be found in the Feet of Fines records for Essex, dated 1278, where a John de Northgrove is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already established in the region during the medieval period.
The NORGROVE name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1379, where a Thomas Norgrove is listed as a taxpayer. This record provides evidence of the name's presence in other parts of England during the 14th century.
In the 16th century, the NORGROVE surname can be found in the Parish Registers of Oxfordshire, where a William Norgrove was baptized in 1592 in the village of Chipping Norton. This indicates the name's continued use and spread throughout various counties of England.
Notable individuals with the NORGROVE surname include:
1. John Norgrove (1788-1857), an English cricketer who played for Hampshire County Cricket Club in the early 19th century.
2. William Norgrove (1856-1925), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Regent Palace Hotel.
3. Edith Norgrove (1892-1978), an English novelist and children's writer, known for her works such as "The Treasure House" and "The Pirate's Secret."
4. Richard Norgrove (1933-2010), a British diplomat who served as the United Kingdom's ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1982 to 1986.
5. Linda Norgrove (1974-2010), a Scottish aid worker who was tragically killed in Afghanistan while being held captive by insurgents.
While the NORGROVE surname originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and family connections. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval period, with the name likely originating from a geographical location or description of a northern grove or woodland area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Norgrove
Among Census respondents with the surname Norgrove, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Hispanic (7.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Norgrove 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 Norgrove surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.1% · 83
- Black or African American11.9% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino7.3% · 8
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Norgrove
Norgrove 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+3 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,497 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-3 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,952 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 6,497 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 2,952 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 Norgrove 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 | #147,253 | #150,205 | -2.0% |
| Count | 112 | 109 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Norgrove bearers went from 112 to 109 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 2,952 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #150,205.
FAQ
Norgrove surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Norgrove?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Norgrove. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Norgrove?
Norgrove ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 109 people with the surname Norgrove. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Norgrove.
Has Norgrove become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Norgrove went from 112 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Norgrove?
Among Census respondents with the surname Norgrove, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Hispanic (7.3%). 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 Norgrove in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.1% (83 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Norgrove appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.1%), Black (11.9%), Hispanic (7.3%). 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 Norgrove (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 Norgrove mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from the northern grove or wood. 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 Norgrove (0.04 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 Norgrove?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.