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

Noun, 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 Noun surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Noun in America

Noun is the 55841st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Noun surname appeared 367 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Noun.

We can also compare 2010 data for Noun 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 Noun

The surname NOUN is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "noune" which meant "name" or "word". It first appeared in written records in the late 12th century, and is thought to have originally been an occupational name for a clerk or scribe.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Walter le Noun, who is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1195. Other early examples include Richard Noun from the Curia Regis Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1220, and John le Noun from the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1279.

The name is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Nun" and "Nune". These earlier spellings likely derived from the Old French word "non", which also meant "name".

In the 13th century, the name was often associated with the town of Nun Monkton in Yorkshire, which was recorded as "Nunemoneketon" in the Yorkshire Feet of Fines of 1208. This suggests that some bearers of the name may have originally hailed from this area.

Notable historical figures with the surname NOUN include:

• William Noun (c.1270-1335), an English cleric and scholar who served as Archdeacon of Leicester.
• John Noun (c.1450-1509), a British historian and author of the "Chronicle of England".
• Thomas Noun (1555-1624), an English poet and playwright during the Elizabethan era.
• Elizabeth Noun (1675-1737), a British philanthropist and founder of the Noun Charity School in London.
• Samuel Noun (1722-1787), an American merchant and politician who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress.

While originally an occupational name, over time NOUN became more widely adopted as a hereditary surname, passing down through families across England and later North America. Its connection to words and language has given it a distinctive meaning and history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Noun

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

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

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

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