2000
#118,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Aono
A Japanese surname possibly derived from a place name or related to the color blue.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 175 Americans carry the last name Aono. That puts it at #119,572 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,958,596 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aono 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
175
1 in 1,958,596
Census rank
#119,572
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
153
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 153 bearers of the surname Aono in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 119572nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aono, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.7%. The next largest groups are White (7.8%) and Two or More Races (6.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aono
The surname AONO is believed to have originated in Japan during the 8th century. It is thought to be derived from the Japanese words "ao" meaning blue or green, and "no" meaning field or plains. The name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked in a verdant, grassy area.
Early records show the name appearing in the Shiki Wakashu, an anthology of Japanese poetry from the early Heian period compiled in the early 10th century. One of the poets featured was Fujiwara no Aono, who lived during the late 9th century.
In the 12th century, the name can be found in the Heike Monogatari, a famous epic account of the struggle between the Taira and Minamoto clans for control over Japan. A samurai warrior named Aono Suehiro is mentioned as fighting for the Minamoto side at the decisive Battle of Dan-no-ura in 1185.
Moving into the medieval period, in 1457 a Buddhist monk named Aono Kogan established a Zen temple called Kogan-ji in Mino Province (now part of Gifu Prefecture). The temple still stands today.
During the Edo period (1603-1868), the Aono family was a prominent samurai clan serving as vassals of the Tokugawa shogunate in the Hitachi Province region (now part of Ibaraki Prefecture). Aono Nizaemon (1628-1703) was a renowned swordsman and martial arts teacher.
In more recent centuries, notable people with the surname Aono include the poet Aono Suekichi (1855-1923), the diplomat Aono Yutaka (1871-1946), and the artist Aono Harumichio (1923-2010), a master of the Rinpa school of Japanese painting.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aono
Among Census respondents with the surname Aono, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.7%. The next largest groups are White (7.8%) and Two or More Races (6.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Aono 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 Aono surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander81.7% · 125
- White7.8% · 12
- Two or more races6.5% · 10
- Black or African American3.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aono
Aono 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
#118,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 147
+11 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 51 places
2020
#119,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 153
+6 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 1,387 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,236 | 136 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #118,185 | 147 | 0.05 | +11 bearers (+8.1%) | Up 51 places |
| 2020 | #119,572 | 153 | 0.05 | +6 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 1,387 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 Aono 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 | #118,185 | #119,572 | -1.2% |
| Count | 147 | 153 | 4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | 2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aono bearers went from 147 to 153 (+4.1% change). The surname moved down 1,387 positions in the national ranking, going from #118,185 to #119,572.
FAQ
Aono surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aono?
Name Census estimates that about 175 living Americans carry the surname Aono. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,958,596 residents.
How common is Aono?
Aono ranks #119,572 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 153 people with the surname Aono. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (175), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Aono.
Has Aono become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aono went from 147 recorded bearers to 153. That is an increase of 6 (+4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #118,185 to #119,572.
What does the Census say about the background of Aono?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aono, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.7%. The next largest groups are White (7.8%) and Two or More Races (6.5%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Aono in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.7% (125 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aono appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (81.7%), White (7.8%), Two or More Races (6.5%). 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 Aono (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 Aono mean?
A Japanese surname possibly derived from a place name or related to the color blue. 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 Aono (0.05 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 people are called Aono?
If you just want to know how many people are called Aono, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.