Given name & surname · also Norman French
Norris
“a man from the north”
Norris is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “a man from the north.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “a man from the north.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Norman French.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Norris through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 16,979
- 16,456 boys · 523 girls
- Most popular year
- 1924
- 323 babies
- 2025
- 15
- #6,063 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −24%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 15 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 6,063 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 24.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 308 in 1924. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 7,581 as a first name in 2020; 84,956 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Norris’s family of names
Norris has a related form in Noris. Norris has a related form in Norys. Norris has a related form in Noriss.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Norris
- Norris ColeAmerican basketball player (born 1988)
- Norris BradburyAmerican physicist1909–1997
- Norris GrahamAmerican rower (1906-1980)
- Norris BowdenCanadian figure skater (1926–1991)
- Norris CottonAmerican politician (1900-1989)
- Norris PoulsonAmerican politician (1895-1982)
- Norris BrownAmerican politician (1863–1960)
- Norris McWhirterBritish writer, political activist and television presenter (1925—2004)
- Norris ColemanAmerican basketball player (born 1961)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Norris, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Norbert
“one who shines from the north”
>99% boys
Norton
“from the northern town”
>99% boys
Norman
“a man from the north”
>99% boys
Newton
“from the new town”
>99% boys
Olin
“filled with happiness”
>99% boys
Irwin
“a friend of the wild boar”
>99% boys
Burton
“from the fortified town”
>99% boys
Bertram
“the renowned bright raven”
>99% boys