2000
#1,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,678
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.04
Uncommon Last name
Norwood
From the northern woods or a person living to the north of the woods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,494 Americans carry the last name Norwood. That puts it at #1,633 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,993 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Norwood 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 Norwood with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 13,993
Census rank
#1,633
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,360 bearers of the surname Norwood in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1633rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Norwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.2%. The next largest groups are Black (40.1%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Norwood
The surname Norwood originated in England, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 11th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "norð" (meaning north) and "wudu" (meaning wood), referring to a northern wood or forest. The name likely originated from various places in England, including Norwood in Yorkshire and Norwood in Surrey.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Norwood appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Norewode" in Hampshire. This suggests that the surname was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
In the 13th century, a record mentions a Richard de Norewod, indicating the use of the surname in its early form. During this period, the name was also spelled as "Norewode" and "Norewude," reflecting the variations in spelling common in medieval times.
Notable individuals with the surname Norwood include Sir John Norwood (c.1450-1508), who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1509. Another prominent figure was Richard Norwood (1590-1675), an English mathematician and surveyor known for his work in surveying the colony of Virginia in the mid-17th century.
In the 18th century, John Norwood (1715-1767) was a British naval officer and explorer who participated in the exploration of the Pacific Northwest coast of North America. Meanwhile, Richard Norwood (1761-1823) was an English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Opera House.
A more recent historical figure was Sir Cyril Norwood (1875-1956), a prominent English educator and headmaster who served as the President of St. John's College, Oxford, from 1934 to 1946.
While the surname Norwood has its origins in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, likely due to migration and the influence of the British Empire. The name has maintained its connection to its locational roots, reflecting the historical significance of place names and their role in the development of surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Norwood
Among Census respondents with the surname Norwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.2%. The next largest groups are Black (40.1%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Norwood 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 Norwood surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.2% · 10,722
- Black or African American40.1% · 8,560
- Two or more races5.2% · 1,109
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 722
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 143
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 104
Timeline
Historical Census data for Norwood
Norwood 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
#1,596
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,461
+783 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 7.61
Rank movement Down 76 places
2020
#1,633
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,360
-1,101 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 7.15
Rank movement Down 37 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,520 | 21,678 | 8.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,596 | 22,461 | 7.61 | +783 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 76 places |
| 2020 | #1,633 | 21,360 | 7.15 | -1,101 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 37 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 Norwood 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 | #1,596 | #1,633 | -2.3% |
| Count | 22,461 | 21,360 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 7.61 | 7.15 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Norwood bearers went from 22,461 to 21,360 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 37 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,596 to #1,633.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Norwood
FAQ
Norwood surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Norwood?
Name Census estimates that about 24,494 living Americans carry the surname Norwood. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,993 residents.
How common is Norwood?
Norwood ranks #1,633 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,360 people with the surname Norwood. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,494), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Norwood.
Has Norwood become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Norwood went from 22,461 recorded bearers to 21,360. That is a decrease of 1,101 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,596 to #1,633.
What does the Census say about the background of Norwood?
Among Census respondents with the surname Norwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.2%. The next largest groups are Black (40.1%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Norwood in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.2% (10,722 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Norwood appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.2%), Black (40.1%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Norwood (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 Norwood mean?
From the northern woods or a person living to the north of the woods. 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 Norwood (7.15 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 share the surname Norwood?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.