The Norris surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 89,796 people carried this name — #346 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 3,290 people counted. That is up 5% from 85,212 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Norris surname

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

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Norris» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘the Noreis’ — the first of the origins he gives.

An early record he cites: Thomas le Noreis, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Norris, Norrish and Norriss.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 561 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 22 births for the Norris name in 1890.

Most were registered in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,000 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. One of them was indexed under another spelling of the name.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Munster 8
Leinster 7
Ulster 7

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

59 people named Norris live in Switzerland.

They live in 9 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 17
Vaud 14
Bern 5
Geneva 5
Solothurn 5
St. Gallen 4
Basel-Landschaft 3
Basel-Stadt 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 54 people named Norris live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 28
City of Buenos Aires 13
Córdoba 13

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 43 people named Norris.

Most of them — 31 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 5 départements, most often Haute-Savoie.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 31
Haute-Savoie 7
Paris 2
Bouches-du-Rhône 1
Loiret 1
Nord 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

63 people named Norris are counted in Sweden and Finland.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 39
Finland (2026) 24

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Norris was found among the farmers of 4 counties.

It was most frequent in Lancashire: 15 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 667. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Lancashire 15
Somerset 14
Dorset 10
Berkshire 8

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Norris was recorded 21 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1107th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 32. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

245 families named Norris, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,391 people lived in those households, 5.7 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 6 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Maryland 61
New Hampshire 34
Virginia 28
North Carolina 26
Pennsylvania 23
South Carolina 18
Maine 14
New York 14
Vermont 9
Massachusetts 9
Connecticut 6
Rhode Island 3

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 255 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Norris in American newspapers,
1900–1901.

Newspaper page from Orleans County Monitor carrying the name Norris
Orleans County Monitor 1901-08-26
Newspaper page from Orleans County Monitor carrying the name Norris
Orleans County Monitor 1900-09-17
Newspaper page from Orleans County Monitor carrying the name Norris
Orleans County Monitor 1901-09-16

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 477,170 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Norris in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

84,523 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Norris. The most, 15,500, date from the 1930s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 31,291
Victoria 17,134
Queensland 16,667
Western Australia 7,534
South Australia 6,653
Tasmania 4,316
ACT (Canberra) 550
Northern Territory 141

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Norris.

Who carried it

People named Norris,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Norris d. 1577 · politician
  • Edward Graham Norris d. 2010 · researcher
  • Earl Norris d. 2001 · dogsled musher
  • Francis Norris d. 1669
  • Herbert Norris d. 1950
  • Ethel Emily Annesley d. 1939

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Norris,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States7,020 records

7,020 records of the Norris name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 3,090
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 1,203
  • Other U.S. records 2,727
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Jerry A. Norris

    Born 1944; from Coral Gables, Florida. U.S. Army, indirect fire infantryman; killed in action 1967 in Quang Ngai, South Vietnam. Buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Mary V. Norris

    Born 1899 in Oregon. Enlisted 1944 in the Women's Army Corps at Portland; stock clerk. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1960, buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Walter Michael Norris

    Born 1932; from Norwood, Ohio. U.S. Marine Corps; killed in action 1951 in Korea. Buried at Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Kentucky.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 7,020 records for Norris in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain).

Australia2,827 records

2,827 records of the Norris name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,076
  • Tasmanian Names Index 666
  • Other Australian records 1,085
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Christopher Norris

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Elphinstone, sailing from London in 1837. Native of Leeds, Yorkshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1844.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Francis Norris

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Eliza, sailing from Portsmouth in 1831. Native of Marsh Benham, Berkshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1836. Married 1836 in Hobart, Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Samuel Norris

    Died 1895 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 40. Will registered in Tasmania in 1895.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 2,827 records for Norris in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada449 records

449 records of the Norris name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 299
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 42
  • Other Canadian records 108
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Joseph Norris

    Came to Ontario in 1875 aboard the Peruvian, landing at Quebec, bound for London, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Patrick George Norris

    Buried in 1979 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 23.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Albert James Edmund Norris

    Died 1996, aged 86; buried at Transcona Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.

Showing 3 of 449 records for Norris in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom171 records

171 records of the Norris name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 98
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 41
  • Other British records 32
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Janette Norris

    Buried in 1964 at Fintry Churchyard Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 72.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Edith Mary Norris

    Will proved in 1934; of Waterloo, Lancashire.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Ernest Arthur Norris

    Died 1917. Named in the National Bank of Scotland Limited roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)

Showing 3 of 171 records for Norris in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand53 records

53 records of the Norris name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 37
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 11
  • Other New Zealand records 5
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Robert Lawrence Norris

    Died 1992, aged 78; buried at Whangamata Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Hannah Norris

    Died 1904, aged 73; buried at Lyttelton Anglican Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Maria Vittoria Norris

    Died 1987, aged 64; buried at Picton Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 53 records for Norris in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands24 records

24 records of the Norris name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 16
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 6
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record John Norris

    Married in 1827 in Amsterdam; domestic servant.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Henry Alfred Norris

    Married in 1946 in Sneek; factory worker.

    Open Archives, AlleFriezen (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 24 records for Norris in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

France15 records

15 records of the Norris name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Frederick Charles Norris

    Born 1937 in Great Britain; died 1994 in Bourthes (Pas-de-Calais).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Adeline Marie Norris

    Born 1909 in Great Britain; died 2000 in Passy (Haute-Savoie).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 15 records for Norris in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Belgium2 records

2 records of the Norris name in Belgium Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Henry Norris

    Died 1906 in Gent.

    Open Archives, Archief Gent (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Norris in Belgium.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Germany1 record

1 record of the Norris name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list John Norris

    From Berlin. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 27 November 1914 (Infantry Regiment No. 20).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Norris.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Norris is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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