Noy last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Noy

A locational surname derived from a place name in France or Spain.

Noy, 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 Noy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Noy in America

Noy is the 34618th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Noy surname appeared 653 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 Noy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Noy 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank3461839176-12.35%
Count65352920.98%
Proportion per 100k0.220.209.52%

The history of the last name Noy

The surname Noy originated in England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word 'noye', meaning 'a drowned person'. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a body of water or had a connection to the sea or rivers.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, dated 1170, where it appears as 'de Noy'. This indicates that the name was likely initially a locational surname, referring to someone from a place called Noy. However, no such place has been definitively identified.

In the 13th century, the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire mention a 'Hugh de Noy', further cementing the name's presence in medieval England. The variant spelling 'Noye' also appears in various records from this period.

During the 14th century, the name Noy gained prominence when it was borne by Robert Noy (c.1335-1420), a prominent English lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1396 to 1420. This early association with the legal profession may have influenced the name's perception and status.

Another notable figure with this surname was William Noy (1577-1634), an English lawyer and legal writer who played a significant role in the ship money case, which contributed to the outbreak of the English Civil War. He was also involved in the prosecution of Sir Walter Raleigh.

In the realm of literature, one of the most renowned figures with the surname Noy was William Noy (1726-1805), an English poet and writer who is best known for his work 'A Journey from London to the Isle of Wight'.

The name Noy also has a connection to the exploration of the New World. John Noy (c.1615-1660) was an English explorer and navigator who participated in several expeditions to the Americas and the West Indies in the mid-17th century.

Finally, in the 19th century, James Noy (1811-1886) was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Albert Hall and the Brompton Oratory.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Noy

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

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 Noy was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only41.19%269
Non-Hispanic Black Only6.43%42
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only29.10%190
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races(S)%(S)
Hispanic Origin21.13%138

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 Noy has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White41.19%42.91%-4.09%
Black6.43%7.75%-18.62%
Asian and Pacific Islander29.10%26.47%9.47%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%0.00%(S)%
Two or More Races(S)%4.73%(S)%
Hispanic21.13%18.15%15.17%

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

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

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