Explore the Family Name Northern

The meaning of Northern

English (East Midlands): from Middle English northern, northren ‘northern’ (Old English northerne), for someone ‘from the north’, particularly as an English nickname for someone from Scotland or Scandinavia, or a southern English nickname for someone from the north of the country.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Northern in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname "Northern" saw a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 8,660 but fell to 8,981 by 2010, marking a diminution of 3.71%. However, the count of people with the Northern surname increased by 4.2% from 3,496 in 2000 to 3,643 in 2010. The proportion per 100,000 also declined slightly over this period, from 1.3 to 1.24.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#8,660	#8,981	-3.71%
Count	3,496	3,643	4.2%
Proportion per 100k	1.3	1.24	-4.62%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Northern

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows a diverse range of backgrounds among those bearing the Northern surname. In 2010, the majority identified as White (56.27%), followed by Black (39.12%). The percentage of those identifying as White decreased slightly from 2000, while those identifying as Black increased slightly. There were also increases seen in the percentages of individuals who identify as Asian/Pacific Islander (0.36%), Hispanic (1.54%), and two or more races (2.47%). The number of American Indian and Alaskan Natives remained relatively stable, increasing slightly from 0.23% in 2000 to 0.25% in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
White	58.5%	56.27%	-3.81%
Black	38.36%	39.12%	1.98%
Two or More Races	1.52%	2.47%	62.5%
Hispanic	1.14%	1.54%	35.09%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.26%	0.36%	38.46%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0.23%	0.25%	8.7%