A data processor includes a first bit field of a first plurality of bits representing a mantissa of a floating point number and a second bit field of a second plurality of bits representing an exponent of the floating point number. The first plurality of bits is partitioned into a plurality of regions, each of the plurality of regions comprises more than one bit of the first plurality of bits. A leading zero anticipator or other type of leading bit indication circuit is coupled to each region and determines a position of a leading bit of the first plurality of bits. A normalizer is coupled to receive a region of the plurality of regions that contains the leading bit, the normalizer may normalize or denormalize the region to produce a normalized or denormalized floating point number.