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

Norris, 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 Norris surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Norris in America

Norris is the 346th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Norris surname appeared 89,796 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 30 people would have the surname Norris.

We can also compare 2010 data for Norris 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 Norris

The surname NORRIS is of Anglo-Norman origin and is derived from the Old French word "norris", meaning "nursling" or "foster child". It is believed to have originated in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066, when many French-speaking settlers arrived and established themselves in various parts of the country.

The earliest recorded instances of the NORRIS surname can be traced back to the 12th century in various historical records, such as the Pipe Rolls of 1176 and the Curia Regis Rolls of 1201. These records mention individuals with the name, indicating its use as a hereditary surname during that time period.

In the 13th century, the name NORRIS appeared in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like record of landowners and tenants in England. This document contains references to individuals with the surname, providing insight into the geographic distribution of the name during that era.

One notable historical figure bearing the NORRIS surname was Sir John Norris (c. 1547-1597), an English soldier and courtier who served under Queen Elizabeth I. He played a significant role in the Tudor military campaigns in Ireland and the Netherlands.

Another prominent individual was Sir John Norris (1660-1749), an English admiral who served in the Royal Navy during the War of the Spanish Succession and the War of the Quadruple Alliance. He was known for his successful naval campaigns and was recognized for his bravery and leadership.

In the literary world, Frank Norris (1870-1902) was an American novelist and writer, best known for his works such as "McTeague" and "The Octopus". He was a prominent figure in the naturalist literary movement and explored themes of social realism in his writings.

The NORRIS surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Norris Green in Liverpool and Norris Hill in Cheshire. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the NORRIS surname who lived or owned land in those areas.

While the NORRIS surname originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Norris

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

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

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

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