How common is the surname Norris?

89,796 people in the United States had the surname Norris in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 3,438 Americans. It ranked 346th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Norris?

Chuck Norris, American martial artist and action actor (1940–2026), followed by Lando Norris.

Where is the surname Norris most common?

Wikidata records people named Norris in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 1 other country.

How do you pronounce Norris?

Norris is /ˈnɔɹɪs/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Norris getting more or less common?

More common. 85,212 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 89,796 in 2010, up 5.4%.

Is Norris also a first name?

Yes. Norris is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Norris

A French surname, carried by 89,796 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈnɔɹɪs/ 2 syllables Soundex N620 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Norris is more common than 99.8% of them.

Origin

French origin

An Anglo-Norman surname, from Old French norreis (“a northerner, a migrant from the north”). More at French norois.

One of 791 French surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 89,796 people named Norris in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 3,438 Americans. That is up 5.4% since 2000, when the Census counted 85,212.

#346

rank among US surnames

89,796

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+5.4%

change since 2000 (was #326)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#337	Neal	91,694	3,367
#338	Leonard	91,475	3,375
#339	Gregory	91,384	3,379
#340	Carrillo	91,129	3,388
#341	Sutton	90,964	3,394
#342	Fleming	90,677	3,405
#343	Rhodes	90,670	3,405

Who is named Norris

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

80% of people named Norris identified as white (not Hispanic), 14% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.2% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 80%
Black (not Hispanic) 14%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.2%
Two or more races 2.0%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.9%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Norriss

28 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Chuck Norris
American martial artist and action actor (1940–2026)
Lando Norris
British and Belgian racing driver (born 1999)
Dean Norris
American actor, born 1963
Frank Norris
American journalist and novelist (1870-1902)
Lee Norris
American actor, born 1981
Aaron Norris
American film producer, director and actor, born 1951
George W. Norris
American politician (1861–1944)
Kathleen Norris
American writer (1880-1966)
Hermione Norris
British actress, born 1967
Pippa Norris
British American political scientist, born 1953
Patricia Norris
American costume designer (1931-2015)
Henry Norris
Accused of treason and adultery with Anne Boleyn, 1482–1536

Notable Norriss come mostly from the United States (21), the United Kingdom (4) and Australia (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Norris

Norris has the Soundex code N620, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code N620.

Other French surnames

All 791 French surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Norris come from?: An Anglo-Norman surname, from Old French norreis (“a northerner, a migrant from the north”). More at French norois.
How common is the surname Norris?: 89,796 people in the United States had the surname Norris in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 3,438 Americans. It ranked 346th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Norris?: In the 2010 Census, 80% of people named Norris identified as white (not Hispanic), and 14% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Norris?: Chuck Norris, American martial artist and action actor (1940–2026), followed by Lando Norris.
Where is the surname Norris most common?: Wikidata records people named Norris in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 1 other country.
How do you pronounce Norris?: Norris is /ˈnɔɹɪs/, 2 syllables.
Is the surname Norris getting more or less common?: More common. 85,212 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 89,796 in 2010, up 5.4%.
Is Norris also a first name?: Yes. Norris is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.