2000
#461
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 65,269
First available Census row
Per 100,000 24.20
Uncommon Last name
Norman
Derived from a place name meaning "northman," referring to someone from Scandinavia or with Viking ancestry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 73,326 Americans carry the last name Norman. That puts it at #514 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 21.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,674 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Norman 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 Norman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
73K
1 in 4,674
Census rank
#514
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
21.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
64K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 63,944 bearers of the surname Norman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 21.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 514th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Norman, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.6%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Norman
Among Census respondents with the surname Norman, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.6%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Norman 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 Norman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.6% · 42,577
- Black or African American24.3% · 15,568
- Two or more races4.4% · 2,827
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 2,142
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 470
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 360
Timeline
Historical Census data for Norman
Norman 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
#495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 67,704
+2,435 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 22.95
Rank movement Down 34 places
2020
#514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 63,944
-3,760 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 21.39
Rank movement Down 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #461 | 65,269 | 24.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #495 | 67,704 | 22.95 | +2,435 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 34 places |
| 2020 | #514 | 63,944 | 21.39 | -3,760 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 19 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 Norman 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 | #495 | #514 | -3.8% |
| Count | 67,704 | 63,944 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 22.95 | 21.39 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Norman bearers went from 67,704 to 63,944 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #495 to #514.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Norman
FAQ
Norman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Norman?
Name Census estimates that about 73,326 living Americans carry the surname Norman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,674 residents.
How common is Norman?
Norman ranks #514 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 21.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 21 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 63,944 people with the surname Norman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (73,326), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 21.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 21.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 21 of them to have the surname Norman.
Has Norman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Norman went from 67,704 recorded bearers to 63,944. That is a decrease of 3,760 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #495 to #514.
What does the Census say about the background of Norman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Norman, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.6%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) and Two or More Races (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 Norman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.6% (42,577 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Norman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.6%), Black (24.3%), Two or More Races (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 Norman (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 Norman mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "northman," referring to someone from Scandinavia or with Viking ancestry. 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 Norman (21.39 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 Norman?
See how many people are called Norman on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.