2000
#6,103
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,182
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.92
Rare Last name
Aronson
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Aaron, meaning "mountain of strength" or "enlightened" in Hebrew.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,507 Americans carry the last name Aronson. That puts it at #6,749 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,240 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aronson 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
5.5K
1 in 62,240
Census rank
#6,749
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,802 bearers of the surname Aronson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6749th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aronson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aronson
The surname ARONSON is of Jewish origin, derived from the Hebrew masculine given name "Aharon" or "Aaron," meaning "high mountain" or "exalted." It emerged as a patronymic surname, indicating the person was the son of someone named Aaron or Aron.
In the Middle Ages, the Jewish population across Europe adopted surnames based on their given names, places of origin, occupations, or personal characteristics. The ARONSON surname likely originated in areas with significant Jewish communities, such as Germany, Poland, and Russia.
One of the earliest documented references to the ARONSON surname can be found in the Memorbuch (Memorial Book) of the Jewish community in Nuremberg, Germany, dating back to the 14th century. The record mentions individuals with the surname ARONSON or variations like ARONSOHN and ARONSSOHN.
Notable individuals with the ARONSON surname include Naum Aronson (1872-1943), a Russian-born American artist and sculptor known for his works depicting Jewish life in Eastern Europe. Another prominent figure was Gregor Aronson (1939-2022), a Swedish actor and comedian who appeared in numerous films and television shows.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the ARONSON surname dates back to the late 19th century, when Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe began arriving in significant numbers. Moses Aronson (1853-1938), a businessman and philanthropist from Russia, was among the early Aronsons to settle in the country.
Other notable Aronsons throughout history include Shlomo Aronson (1919-2017), an Israeli diplomat and ambassador, and Harry Aronson (1904-1986), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives.
The ARONSON surname has also been found in various spellings and forms, such as Aaronson, Aronowitz, and Aronowicz, reflecting the diverse linguistic and cultural influences on Jewish communities across different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aronson
Among Census respondents with the surname Aronson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Aronson 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 Aronson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 4,431
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 157
- Two or more races2.7% · 128
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 52
- Black or African American0.5% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aronson
Aronson 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
#6,470
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,247
+65 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Down 367 places
2020
#6,749
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,802
-445 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Down 279 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,103 | 5,182 | 1.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,470 | 5,247 | 1.78 | +65 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 367 places |
| 2020 | #6,749 | 4,802 | 1.61 | -445 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 279 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 Aronson 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 | #6,470 | #6,749 | -4.3% |
| Count | 5,247 | 4,802 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.78 | 1.61 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aronson bearers went from 5,247 to 4,802 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 279 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,470 to #6,749.
FAQ
Aronson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aronson?
Name Census estimates that about 5,507 living Americans carry the surname Aronson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,240 residents.
How common is Aronson?
Aronson ranks #6,749 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,802 people with the surname Aronson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,507), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Aronson.
Has Aronson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aronson went from 5,247 recorded bearers to 4,802. That is a decrease of 445 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,470 to #6,749.
What does the Census say about the background of Aronson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aronson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (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 Aronson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (4,431 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aronson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (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 Aronson (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 Aronson mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Aaron, meaning "mountain of strength" or "enlightened" in Hebrew. 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 Aronson (1.61 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 have the surname Aronson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.