where did my notes icon go

Did you try looking for it in spotlight?

Swipe down on the icons, then enter "Notes" in the search text field.

Maybe it's tucked away in aa folder of icons.

See animation below that demonstrates it, finding Pro HDR X in Photos folder:

Hello

Do you mean the notes app isn't on your home screen? If so:

Restore a built-in app that you removed

1. Go to the App Store.
2. Search for the app. Make sure that you use the exact name of the app. Find the correct name of built-in apps.
3. Tap to restore the app.
4. Wait for the app to restore, then open it from your Home screen.

Taken from:

Remove built-in Apple apps from the Home screen on your iOS device with iOS 10 - Apple Support

Sammy4813 wrote:

My notes icon is no longer on my phone but it is listed under mail and cloud. I would prefer to get my notes back versus starting over.

Look in your other app folder or home screen.

double check your restrictions.

settings - general - reset - reset home screen layout.

app store - search notes - redownload, as notes app can be deleted.