# Norfolk (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/norfolk/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | occupational, named after the work an ancestor did |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 949 |
| US rank (2010) | 25,902 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 325,338 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.9% (922 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈnɔː(ɹ).fək/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Middle English Northfolk, from Old English Norþfolc (literally “northern people”), from norþ (“north, northern”) + folc (“folk, people, race, nation”), equivalent to north + folk. As an Ecuadorian island, clipping of Duke of Norfolk's Island, bestowed by William Ambrosia Cowley in 1684 honor of Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk; his son Henry, the 7th duke; or both. As an Australian island and territory, bestowed by James Cook in 1774 in honor of Mary Howard, wife of the 9th duke.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Norfolk in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 74% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 20% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 3.3% |
| Two or more races | 1.7% |

## Similar surnames

Norfleet, Norvell, Norville.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.