2000
#8,323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,659
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.36
Rare Last name
Norvell
English habitational surname denoting someone from Norville in Yorkshire or Northwell in Sussex.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,051 Americans carry the last name Norvell. That puts it at #8,895 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,610 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Norvell 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
4.1K
1 in 84,610
Census rank
#8,895
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,533 bearers of the surname Norvell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8895th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Norvell, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.2%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Norvell
The surname Norvell has its origins in the Old Norse language and is derived from the words "nordr" meaning "north" and "vollr" meaning "field" or "meadow". This suggests that the name likely originated in one of the Scandinavian countries, such as Norway, Sweden, or Denmark.
The earliest known records of the Norvell name can be traced back to the 11th century in Norway, where it was spelled "Nordvoll". It is believed that the name referred to someone who lived in a northern field or meadow, possibly a landowner or farmer.
In the 13th century, variations of the name began appearing in historical records across Scandinavia, such as "Nordvoll", "Nordvelle", and "Nordvelle". These variations were likely due to regional dialects and spelling differences at the time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Norvell was Thorvald Norvell, a Norwegian nobleman and landowner who lived in the late 12th century. His name was documented in a land deed from the year 1187.
In the 14th century, the Norvell name began to spread to other parts of Europe, particularly through trade and migration. One notable individual from this period was Reinhard Norvell, a German merchant from Hamburg who was involved in the Hanseatic League, a powerful trading alliance in northern Europe. He was born around 1325.
As the name continued to evolve, it took on different spellings in different regions. In England, for instance, it was sometimes spelled "Norville" or "Norreville". One example is Sir John Norville, an English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War during the late 14th century.
In Scotland, the name was sometimes spelled "Norvill" or "Norvell". One notable Scot with this surname was Robert Norvill, a nobleman and landowner who lived in the 15th century and was involved in the Wars of Scottish Independence against England.
As the surname spread across Europe and eventually to the Americas, it continued to undergo various spelling changes. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Norvell spelling in America was William Norvell, an English colonist who settled in Virginia in the late 17th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Norvell
Among Census respondents with the surname Norvell, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.2%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Norvell 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 Norvell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.1% · 2,724
- Black or African American14.2% · 503
- Two or more races3.9% · 137
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 132
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Norvell
Norvell 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
#8,817
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,713
+54 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 494 places
2020
#8,895
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,533
-180 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 78 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,323 | 3,659 | 1.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,817 | 3,713 | 1.26 | +54 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 494 places |
| 2020 | #8,895 | 3,533 | 1.18 | -180 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 78 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 Norvell 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 | #8,817 | #8,895 | -0.9% |
| Count | 3,713 | 3,533 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.26 | 1.18 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Norvell bearers went from 3,713 to 3,533 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 78 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,817 to #8,895.
FAQ
Norvell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Norvell?
Name Census estimates that about 4,051 living Americans carry the surname Norvell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,610 residents.
How common is Norvell?
Norvell ranks #8,895 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,533 people with the surname Norvell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,051), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Norvell.
Has Norvell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Norvell went from 3,713 recorded bearers to 3,533. That is a decrease of 180 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,817 to #8,895.
What does the Census say about the background of Norvell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Norvell, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.2%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Norvell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.1% (2,724 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Norvell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.1%), Black (14.2%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Norvell (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 Norvell mean?
English habitational surname denoting someone from Norville in Yorkshire or Northwell in Sussex. 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 Norvell (1.18 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 Norvell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.