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

Norman, 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 Norman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Norman in America

Norman is the 495th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Norman surname appeared 67,704 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 23 people would have the surname Norman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Norman 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 Norman

The surname Norman is of Anglo-Norman origin, derived from the word "Normand" meaning "Northman" or "Norman" in French. The name can be traced back to the Vikings who settled in the region of Normandy in northern France during the 9th century.

The Normans were descendants of Norse raiders who had initially invaded and plundered parts of France. However, they eventually assimilated into the local population and adopted Christianity, forming the semi-independent Duchy of Normandy. The name Norman became a prominent surname among these Scandinavian settlers and their descendants.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Norman can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book lists several individuals with the surname Norman, indicating their presence in various parts of England after the Norman Conquest in 1066.

In the 12th century, a prominent figure named Robert Norman (c. 1090-1165) served as a Norman nobleman and Lord of Raleigh in Devonshire, England. Another notable individual was Roger Norman (c. 1170-1245), a medieval English clergyman who became the Bishop of Salisbury.

During the 13th century, the surname Norman was associated with the powerful Norman family of Normandy, who played a significant role in English history. One member, Sir John Norman (c. 1225-1285), was a renowned knight and military commander who served under King Henry III and participated in the Barons' War against the monarch.

In the 16th century, Sir Henry Norman (c. 1520-1590) was a prominent English courtier and diplomat who served under Queen Elizabeth I. He held various positions, including Ambassador to France and Privy Councillor.

Another notable figure was Sir Roger Norman (c. 1585-1659), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament and played a role in the English Civil War, initially supporting the Parliamentarians but later switching sides to support King Charles I.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Norman

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

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

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

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