2000
#2,990
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,089
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.11
Uncommon Last name
Noriega
A Basque surname derived from a place name meaning "a sunny place" or "the sunny side of a mountain."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,141 Americans carry the last name Noriega. That puts it at #2,499 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,235 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Noriega 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
16K
1 in 21,235
Census rank
#2,499
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,076 bearers of the surname Noriega in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2499th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Noriega, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Noriega
The surname Noriega originates from Spain, with its roots tracing back to the medieval period. The name is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "noria," which refers to a water wheel used for irrigation purposes. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have been associated with agricultural activities or resided near areas with water wheels or irrigation systems.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Noriega surname can be found in the Cartularios de Valpuesta, a collection of medieval manuscripts from the region of Burgos, Spain, dating back to the 10th century. These documents mention individuals with the surname Noriega, indicating that the name was already in use during that era.
In the 13th century, the Noriega surname appears in the Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a medieval census document that recorded names and places in the region of Castile. This suggests that the Noriega family had established a presence in various parts of Castile by that time.
Notable individuals with the Noriega surname include Pedro de Noriega (1470-1524), a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico. Another prominent figure was Juan Fernández de Noriega (1537-1594), a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the colonization of Florida.
In the 16th century, the Noriega surname was also found in the region of Vizcaya (modern-day Biscay), as evidenced by the birth of Juan de Noriega in 1576 in the town of Bilbao. This suggests that the Noriega family had spread across different regions of Spain over the centuries.
Other notable individuals with the Noriega surname include Manuel Noriega (1934-2017), a Panamanian military officer and former de facto ruler of Panama, and Gerardo Noriega (born 1966), a Mexican actor and film producer.
While the Noriega surname has Spanish origins, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly to Latin American countries, due to Spanish colonization and migration patterns. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval period in Spain, with early references found in historical documents and records from regions like Burgos, Castile, and Vizcaya.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Noriega
Among Census respondents with the surname Noriega, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Noriega 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 Noriega surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.9% · 12,655
- White6.1% · 863
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 284
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 98
- Black or African American0.7% · 95
- Two or more races0.6% · 81
Timeline
Historical Census data for Noriega
Noriega 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
#2,477
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,559
+3,470 bearers (+31.3%)
Per 100,000 4.94
Rank movement Up 513 places
2020
#2,499
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,076
-483 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 4.71
Rank movement Down 22 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,990 | 11,089 | 4.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,477 | 14,559 | 4.94 | +3,470 bearers (+31.3%) | Up 513 places |
| 2020 | #2,499 | 14,076 | 4.71 | -483 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 22 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 Noriega 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 | #2,477 | #2,499 | -0.9% |
| Count | 14,559 | 14,076 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.94 | 4.71 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Noriega bearers went from 14,559 to 14,076 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 22 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,477 to #2,499.
FAQ
Noriega surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Noriega?
Name Census estimates that about 16,141 living Americans carry the surname Noriega. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,235 residents.
How common is Noriega?
Noriega ranks #2,499 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,076 people with the surname Noriega. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,141), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Noriega.
Has Noriega become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Noriega went from 14,559 recorded bearers to 14,076. That is a decrease of 483 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,477 to #2,499.
What does the Census say about the background of Noriega?
Among Census respondents with the surname Noriega, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Noriega in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (12,655 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Noriega appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.9%), White (6.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Noriega (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 Noriega mean?
A Basque surname derived from a place name meaning "a sunny place" or "the sunny side of a mountain." 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 Noriega (4.71 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 are called Noriega?
Want to know how many people have the surname Noriega? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.