2010
#125,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Norouzi
A Persian surname likely referring to someone from the town of Noruz.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 282 Americans carry the last name Norouzi. That puts it at #82,600 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,215,441 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Norouzi 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
282
1 in 1,215,441
Census rank
#82,600
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
246
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 246 bearers of the surname Norouzi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 82600th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Norouzi, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Norouzi
The surname Norouzi has its origins in Iran, where it first emerged in the late medieval period. It is derived from the Persian words "nor" meaning "light" and "ouzi" meaning "face", suggesting an ancestral link to someone with a radiant or luminous countenance.
The earliest known bearers of the Norouzi name were concentrated in the northwestern regions of Iran, particularly the provinces of East and West Azerbaijan, as well as parts of modern-day Turkey and Iraq. Variations in spelling were common, with renderings such as Norozi, Noroozi, and Nourouzi appearing in historical records.
One of the earliest documented instances of the Norouzi name can be found in the Safavid-era chronicles of the 16th century, where a court official named Hossein Norouzi is mentioned as serving under Shah Abbas I. This lends credence to the theory that the name may have initially been associated with courtly or administrative roles.
In the 17th century, a renowned Persian poet and mystic named Molla Norouzi gained recognition for his spiritual verses and teachings. Born in the city of Tabriz in 1615, his works continue to be studied and revered within Sufi circles to this day.
During the Qajar dynasty of the 19th century, a prominent military figure named Ali Khan Norouzi rose to prominence as a commander in the Persian army. He is credited with leading successful campaigns against invading Ottoman forces and was later appointed as the governor of several provinces.
Another notable bearer of the Norouzi name was Mirza Mohammad Hassan Norouzi, a prolific writer and intellectual who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His literary contributions, spanning poetry, philosophy, and political commentary, earned him a reputation as one of the leading minds of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution.
In more recent times, the acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Bahman Norouzi, born in 1937, has gained international recognition for his critically acclaimed works exploring themes of identity, social injustice, and cultural heritage. His films have been screened at major festivals worldwide and have garnered numerous awards.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Norouzi
Among Census respondents with the surname Norouzi, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Norouzi 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 Norouzi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 214
- Two or more races11.0% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 4
- Black or African American0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Norouzi
Norouzi appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#82,600
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 246
+109 bearers (+79.6%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 42,682 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #125,282 | 137 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #82,600 | 246 | 0.08 | +109 bearers (+79.6%) | Up 42,682 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 Norouzi 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 | #125,282 | #82,600 | 34.1% |
| Count | 137 | 246 | 79.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.08 | 64.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Norouzi bearers went from 137 to 246 (+79.6% change). The surname moved up 42,682 positions in the national ranking, going from #125,282 to #82,600.
FAQ
Norouzi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Norouzi?
Name Census estimates that about 282 living Americans carry the surname Norouzi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,215,441 residents.
How common is Norouzi?
Norouzi ranks #82,600 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 246 people with the surname Norouzi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (282), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Norouzi.
Has Norouzi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Norouzi went from 137 recorded bearers to 246. That is an increase of 109 (+79.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #125,282 to #82,600.
What does the Census say about the background of Norouzi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Norouzi, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%). 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 Norouzi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (214 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Norouzi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Two or More Races (11.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%). 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 Norouzi (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 Norouzi mean?
A Persian surname likely referring to someone from the town of Noruz. 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 Norouzi (0.08 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 Norouzi?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.