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Noble Family History

Noble Surname Meaning

English, Scottish, and French: status name or nickname from Middle English, Old French noble ‘high-born, distinguished, illustrious’ (from Latin nobilis), denoting someone of lofty birth or character, or someone who poses as a nobleman, or perhaps also ironically someone of low station.

The surname has been established in Ireland since the 13th century but was re-introduced in the 17th century and is now found mainly in Ulster.

Compare French Lenoble. Americanized form of Jewish (Ashkenazic) and German Knöbel, Knobel, and Nobel.

Spanish: nickname from noble ‘noble’ or ‘courteous, kind’ (see 1 above).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Noble family from?

You can see how Noble families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Noble family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Noble families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 162 Noble families living in New York. This was about 20% of all the recorded Noble's in USA. New York had the highest population of Noble families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Noble surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Noble ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Noble. 15% of Noble men worked as a Farmer and 7% of Noble women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Noble were Truck Driver and Stenographer.

View Census Data for Noble | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    15%
  • Laborer
    14%
  • Salesman
    6%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Teacher
    7%
  • Housewife
    6%
  • Housekeeper
    6%
  • Stenographer
    5%

What Noble family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 464,000 census records available for the last name Noble. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Noble census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Noble

Passenger Lists

There are 51,000 immigration records available for the last name Noble. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Noble immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 64,000 military records available for the last name Noble. For the veterans among your Noble ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Noble military records

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