2000
#8,636
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,505
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.30
Rare Last name
Aho
A Finnish surname derived from the word "aho," meaning a glade, clearing, or pasture in a forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,367 Americans carry the last name Aho. That puts it at #8,321 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,487 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aho surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 78,487
Census rank
#8,321
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,808 bearers of the surname Aho in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8321st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aho, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aho
The surname Aho has its origins in Finland, where it first appeared in historical records during the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Finnish word "ahonen," which means "person from a small clearing or meadow." This suggests that the name was originally given to someone who lived near or on a small clearing or meadow.
Aho is considered a relatively common surname in Finland, particularly in the central and western regions of the country. It has also been recorded with various spelling variations, such as Ahonen and Aho-nen, which further reinforces its Finnish roots.
One of the earliest known references to the name Aho can be found in the parish records of Lapua, a town located in the region of Southern Ostrobothnia, Finland. These records date back to the late 16th century and mention several individuals with the surname Aho.
Another notable historical reference comes from the Swedish cadastral records of the 17th century, which documented land ownership and taxation in Finland, then a part of the Swedish realm. Several Aho families were listed as landowners in various parts of the country during this period.
Among the notable individuals who have borne the surname Aho throughout history are Juhani Aho (1861-1921), a renowned Finnish writer and journalist who is considered one of the pioneers of Finnish realism in literature. His works, such as "Juha" and "The Railroaders," provide vivid depictions of rural life in Finland during the late 19th century.
Another notable figure is Yrjö Aho (1863-1929), a Finnish architect who designed several prominent buildings in Helsinki, including the National Library of Finland and the Kiseleff House, which now houses the Finnish Architecture Museum.
In the field of computer science, Alfred Aho (born 1941) is a widely respected figure, known for his contributions to compiler design and programming language theory. He co-authored the influential book "Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools," which has become a standard text in the field.
Additionally, Martti Aho (1924-1995) was a Finnish cross-country skier who won two gold medals at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway, while Valto Aho (1931-2020) was a Finnish politician and trade unionist who served as a member of the Finnish Parliament for over 30 years.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aho
Among Census respondents with the surname Aho, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Aho bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Aho surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 3,413
- Two or more races3.2% · 121
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 101
- Black or African American1.1% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aho
Aho appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,506
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,872
+367 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Up 130 places
2020
#8,321
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,808
-64 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Up 185 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,636 | 3,505 | 1.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,506 | 3,872 | 1.31 | +367 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 130 places |
| 2020 | #8,321 | 3,808 | 1.27 | -64 bearers (-1.7%) | Up 185 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Aho surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,506 | #8,321 | 2.2% |
| Count | 3,872 | 3,808 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.31 | 1.27 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aho bearers went from 3,872 to 3,808 (-1.7% change). The surname moved up 185 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,506 to #8,321.
FAQ
Aho surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aho?
Name Census estimates that about 4,367 living Americans carry the surname Aho. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,487 residents.
How common is Aho?
Aho ranks #8,321 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,808 people with the surname Aho. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,367), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Aho.
Has Aho become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aho went from 3,872 recorded bearers to 3,808. That is a decrease of 64 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,506 to #8,321.
What does the Census say about the background of Aho?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aho, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Aho in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (3,413 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aho appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Aho (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Aho mean?
A Finnish surname derived from the word "aho," meaning a glade, clearing, or pasture in a forest. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Aho (1.27 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Aho?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.