2000
#3,080
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,789
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.00
Uncommon Last name
Noe
A surname of French origin, derived from a place name or referring to someone living near a walnut tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,168 Americans carry the last name Noe. That puts it at #3,326 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 28,169 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Noe 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 Noe with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 28,169
Census rank
#3,326
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,611 bearers of the surname Noe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3326th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Noe, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Noe
The surname Noe originated in France, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "noé," which means "nut" or "walnut." This surname likely began as a nickname for someone who worked with nuts or lived near a walnut tree.
One of the earliest records of the name Noe can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landholders in England after the Norman Conquest. The Domesday Book mentions a landowner named Noe in the county of Lincolnshire.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Noé, Noye, and Noy, in various regions of France, including Normandy, Brittany, and the Île-de-France.
One notable figure from history bearing the surname Noe was Philip Noe (c. 1610-1676), a French Protestant theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious topics.
Another noteworthy individual was Jean-Baptiste Noe (1728-1816), a French painter and engraver known for his portraits and historical scenes.
In the 18th century, the name Noe was associated with a small village in the Ardennes region of France, which was once called Noé-les-Malades (literally "Noe the Sick").
Henry Noe (1835-1915), an American businessman and philanthropist, was a prominent figure in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He founded the Noe Valley district in San Francisco, which bears his name.
Robert Noe (1908-1980) was a French writer and journalist who penned several novels and worked as a war correspondent during World War II.
The surname Noe has also been found in various European countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium, likely due to migration patterns and the spread of French influence across the continent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Noe
Among Census respondents with the surname Noe, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Noe 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 Noe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 9,333
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 528
- Two or more races3.2% · 343
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.3% · 249
- Black or African American0.9% · 98
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 60
Timeline
Historical Census data for Noe
Noe 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
#3,229
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,182
+393 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 3.79
Rank movement Down 149 places
2020
#3,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,611
-571 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 3.55
Rank movement Down 97 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,080 | 10,789 | 4.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,229 | 11,182 | 3.79 | +393 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 149 places |
| 2020 | #3,326 | 10,611 | 3.55 | -571 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 97 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 Noe 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 | #3,229 | #3,326 | -3.0% |
| Count | 11,182 | 10,611 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.79 | 3.55 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Noe bearers went from 11,182 to 10,611 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 97 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,229 to #3,326.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Noe
FAQ
Noe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Noe?
Name Census estimates that about 12,168 living Americans carry the surname Noe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 28,169 residents.
How common is Noe?
Noe ranks #3,326 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,611 people with the surname Noe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,168), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Noe.
Has Noe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Noe went from 11,182 recorded bearers to 10,611. That is a decrease of 571 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,229 to #3,326.
What does the Census say about the background of Noe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Noe, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Noe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (9,333 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Noe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Hispanic (5.0%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Noe (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 Noe mean?
A surname of French origin, derived from a place name or referring to someone living near a walnut tree. 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 Noe (3.55 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 Noe?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.