2000
#35,288
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 604
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.22
Very Rare Last name
Noyce
A locative surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone from a noisy or loud location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 816 Americans carry the last name Noyce. That puts it at #34,306 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 420,042 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Noyce 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 Noyce with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
816
1 in 420,042
Census rank
#34,306
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
712
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 712 bearers of the surname Noyce in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34306th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Noyce, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Noyce
The surname NOYCE is of English origin, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "noyce," which means "nut tree" or "walnut." This suggests that the name may have been originally given to someone who lived near a walnut tree or a grove of walnut trees.
The earliest known recording of the surname NOYCE can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195, where a person named William Noyce is mentioned. Another early record of the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327, listing a John Noyse.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, variations of the spelling became more common, such as Noyce, Noyes, and Noyse. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the way the name was pronounced.
One notable figure in history with the surname NOYCE was Reverend William Noyce (1617-1676), a Puritan minister and one of the founders of the town of Newbury, Massachusetts. He was born in Choulderton, Wiltshire, England, and immigrated to America in 1635.
Another prominent individual was Peter Noyce (1793-1872), a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. Michael and All Angels in Shoreditch.
In the 19th century, John Noyce (1802-1876) was a successful businessman and philanthropist from Yorkshire, England. He donated a significant sum of money to establish the Noyce Institute, a school for the education of the children of working-class families.
Alfred Noyce (1857-1923), an English artist and illustrator, is renowned for his paintings depicting rural life in the counties of Sussex and Kent. His works are displayed in several museums and galleries across the United Kingdom.
In more recent times, Robert Noyce (1927-1990) was a pioneering American inventor and co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel Corporation. He is widely credited with the invention of the integrated circuit and has been dubbed the "Mayor of Silicon Valley" for his significant contributions to the semiconductor industry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Noyce
Among Census respondents with the surname Noyce, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Noyce 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 Noyce surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 646
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 29
- Two or more races3.1% · 22
- Black or African American0.8% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Noyce
Noyce 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
#35,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 640
+36 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Up 85 places
2020
#34,306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 712
+72 bearers (+11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Up 897 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #35,288 | 604 | 0.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #35,203 | 640 | 0.22 | +36 bearers (+6.0%) | Up 85 places |
| 2020 | #34,306 | 712 | 0.24 | +72 bearers (+11.3%) | Up 897 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 Noyce 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 | #35,203 | #34,306 | 2.5% |
| Count | 640 | 712 | 11.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.22 | 0.24 | 8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Noyce bearers went from 640 to 712 (+11.3% change). The surname moved up 897 positions in the national ranking, going from #35,203 to #34,306.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Noyce
FAQ
Noyce surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Noyce?
Name Census estimates that about 816 living Americans carry the surname Noyce. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 420,042 residents.
How common is Noyce?
Noyce ranks #34,306 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 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 712 people with the surname Noyce. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (816), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 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 Noyce.
Has Noyce become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Noyce went from 640 recorded bearers to 712. That is an increase of 72 (+11.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #35,203 to #34,306.
What does the Census say about the background of Noyce?
Among Census respondents with the surname Noyce, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Noyce in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (646 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Noyce appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Noyce (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 Noyce mean?
A locative surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone from a noisy or loud location. 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 Noyce (0.24 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 Noyce?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.