2000
#43,708
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 465
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Norrington
A surname derived from a place name containing the element "North" or "Nor".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 533 Americans carry the last name Norrington. That puts it at #48,977 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 643,066 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Norrington 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 Norrington with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
533
1 in 643,066
Census rank
#48,977
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
465
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 465 bearers of the surname Norrington in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 48977th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Norrington, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.4%. The next largest groups are Black (40.9%) and Hispanic (7.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Norrington
The surname Norrington is of English origin, with roots tracing back to the medieval period. It is a locational name, derived from the place name "Norrington" or "North Ryton" in Shropshire. The name is a compound of the Old English words "nord" meaning north and "tun" meaning an enclosure or settlement, suggesting it originated from a northern village or town.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Shropshire from 1195, where it appears as "de Norrington." This indicates that the surname was already in use by the late 12th century and was likely adopted by families residing in or originating from the village of Norrington.
Another notable historical reference is in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which mention a John de Norrington. This suggests that by the 14th century, the surname had spread beyond its place of origin and was being used by individuals who may have migrated to other parts of England.
In the 15th century, the surname can be found in various records, such as the Register of the Gild of the Holy Cross in Stratford-upon-Avon from 1490, which lists a William Norrington. This indicates the surname's presence in the region of Warwickshire during that period.
One notable figure in history associated with the surname Norrington is Sir John Norrington (c. 1546-1622), an English naval commander and Vice-Admiral who served under Queen Elizabeth I. He was involved in several notable battles against the Spanish Armada and played a crucial role in securing English naval supremacy during that era.
Another notable individual was Edward Norrington (1670-1736), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Dean of Ripon Cathedral in Yorkshire from 1727 until his death.
In the 18th century, the surname appears in records such as the Baptismal Register of St. Mary's Church in Nottingham, which lists the baptism of a child named Mary Norrington in 1723.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname in North America can be found in the passenger list of the ship "Truelove" in 1635, which carried a passenger named Francis Norrington from England to Virginia.
Throughout history, the surname Norrington has been associated with various notable figures, including Sir Edward Norrington (1824-1908), a British diplomat and colonial administrator who served as Governor of Jamaica from 1888 to 1892, and Sir Arthur Norrington (1860-1949), a British Army officer who served in the Second Boer War and World War I.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Norrington
Among Census respondents with the surname Norrington, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.4%. The next largest groups are Black (40.9%) and Hispanic (7.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Norrington 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 Norrington surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.4% · 225
- Black or African American40.9% · 190
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 33
- Two or more races3.4% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Norrington
Norrington 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
#42,163
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 515
+50 bearers (+10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 1,545 places
2020
#48,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 465
-50 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 6,814 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #43,708 | 465 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #42,163 | 515 | 0.17 | +50 bearers (+10.8%) | Up 1,545 places |
| 2020 | #48,977 | 465 | 0.16 | -50 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 6,814 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 Norrington 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 | #42,163 | #48,977 | -16.2% |
| Count | 515 | 465 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.16 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Norrington bearers went from 515 to 465 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 6,814 positions in the national ranking, going from #42,163 to #48,977.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Norrington
FAQ
Norrington surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Norrington?
Name Census estimates that about 533 living Americans carry the surname Norrington. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 643,066 residents.
How common is Norrington?
Norrington ranks #48,977 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 465 people with the surname Norrington. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (533), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Norrington.
Has Norrington become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Norrington went from 515 recorded bearers to 465. That is a decrease of 50 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #42,163 to #48,977.
What does the Census say about the background of Norrington?
Among Census respondents with the surname Norrington, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.4%. The next largest groups are Black (40.9%) and Hispanic (7.1%). 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 Norrington in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.4% (225 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Norrington appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (48.4%), Black (40.9%), Hispanic (7.1%). 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 Norrington (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 Norrington mean?
A surname derived from a place name containing the element "North" or "Nor". 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 Norrington (0.16 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 Norrington?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.