# Norfolk

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /ˈnɔː(ɹ).fək/ · frequency rank #9,074

## Definitions
1. A maritime county of eastern England bordered by Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Suffolk, and the North Sea.
2. An English dukedom.
3. A surname.
4. A town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States.
5. An independent city in Virginia, United States; the largest naval base in the world is situated there.
6. Ellipsis of Norfolk County: a county of Massachusetts, United States.
7. Ellipsis of Norfolk County: a former county of Virginia, United States.
8. An island of Australia; in full, Norfolk Island.
9. A territory of Australia, including the island; in full, Norfolk Island.
10. A language spoken on Norfolk Island.
11. Former name of Santa Cruz: an island of Galapagos, Ecuador.

## Etymology
From Middle English Northfolk, from Old English Norþfolc (literally “northern people”), from norþ (“north, northern”) + folc (“folk, people, race, nation”). As an Ecuadorian island, clipping of Duke of Norfolk's Island, bestowed by William Ambrosia Cowley in 1684 honor of Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk; his son Henry, the 7th duke; or both. As an Australian island and territory, bestowed by James Cook in 1774 in honor of Mary Howard, wife of the 9th duke.

## Easily confused with
- **Norwalk** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/norfolk-vs-norwalk)

## Common misspellings (11)
`nnorfolk`, `nofrolk`, `norffolk`, `norflok`, `norfokl`, `norfolkk`, `norfollk`, `noroflk`, `norrfolk`, `nrofolk`, `onrfolk`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/norfolk