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

Norsworthy, 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 Norsworthy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Norsworthy in America

Norsworthy is the 13291st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Norsworthy surname appeared 2,295 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Norsworthy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Norsworthy 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 Norsworthy

The surname Norsworthy is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "norð" meaning "north" and "worðig" meaning "worthy" or "estate". It is believed to have originated in the northern regions of England, particularly in areas such as Yorkshire and Lancashire, where it was used to denote someone who lived in or owned lands in the northern part of a village or estate.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Norsworthy can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Norðworðig" in reference to a landowner in the county of Yorkshire. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the spelling of the name varied considerably, with forms such as Northeworth, Northworthy, and Norswordi being common. These variations reflect the regional dialects and linguistic changes that occurred over time.

In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name Norsworthy was John Norsworthy (c. 1520-1580), a wealthy merchant and landowner from the town of Halifax in West Yorkshire. His descendants continued to hold significant influence in the region for several generations.

Another noteworthy individual was Sir Edward Norsworthy (1605-1666), a member of the English gentry who served as a Member of Parliament during the reign of Charles I. He was a staunch Royalist during the English Civil War and played a role in the defense of York against the Parliamentarian forces.

In the 18th century, the name Norsworthy was associated with the village of Norsworthy, located in the parish of Widecombe-in-the-Moor in Devon. This place name likely derives from the same Old English roots as the surname, indicating that the family may have had connections to this area as well.

Among the more prominent figures with the surname Norsworthy in the 19th century was Sir William Norsworthy (1827-1904), a British naval officer who achieved the rank of Admiral and served as Commander-in-Chief of the North America and West Indies Station.

In the field of literature, the name Norsworthy was borne by the English writer and journalist Edward Norsworthy (1851-1923), who was known for his novels and travel writings, including his work "The Cruise of the Tomahawk" published in 1888.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Norsworthy

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

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

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

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