2000
#8,323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,659
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.36
Rare Last name
Ayon
A Spanish surname derived from the place name Ayón, referring to someone from the town of Ayón.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,513 Americans carry the last name Ayon. That puts it at #6,743 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,172 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ayon 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 62,172
Census rank
#6,743
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,808 bearers of the surname Ayon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6743rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ayon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ayon
The surname AYON is thought to have originated in Spain during the medieval period, likely derived from the Spanish word "ayon" which means "onion" or "wild garlic." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone involved in cultivating or selling these crops.
The earliest known record of the AYON surname dates back to the 13th century, appearing in various regional records and documents from the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura in southern Spain. It's believed that the name may have originated in these areas, where the cultivation of onions and garlic was prevalent.
One notable historical reference to the AYON name can be found in the "Libro del Repartimiento de Sevilla," a document detailing the distribution of lands and properties in Seville after the Christian conquest in 1248. This record mentions several individuals with the surname AYON, indicating their presence in the region during that time.
In the 15th century, during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, records show an individual named Pedro AYON who served as a royal guard in the court of the monarchs. This suggests that the AYON family had gained some prominence and recognition by that period.
Over the centuries, variations of the spelling emerged, such as AYÓN, AYONES, and AYONES DE VIVAR, with the latter potentially referring to a specific place of origin or residence.
Notable individuals with the AYON surname include:
1. Juan AYON (1542-1619), a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Álvaro de Mendaña on his expeditions to the Solomon Islands in the late 16th century.
2. Isabel AYON (1610-1678), a renowned Spanish painter from Seville who specialized in religious artwork and portraits.
3. Diego AYON (1720-1792), a Spanish military engineer who oversaw the construction of several fortifications in the Americas during the 18th century.
4. Mariana AYON de Velasco (1785-1868), a wealthy landowner and philanthropist from Extremadura, known for her contributions to educational institutions and charitable causes.
5. Enrique AYON (1892-1975), a Spanish-born Argentine writer and journalist who played a significant role in promoting cultural exchange between Spain and Argentina in the early 20th century.
Throughout its history, the AYON surname has been associated with various occupations, from agriculture and military service to the arts and literature, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ayon
Among Census respondents with the surname Ayon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ayon 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 Ayon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.5% · 4,543
- White3.8% · 181
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 57
- Two or more races0.2% · 12
- Black or African American0.2% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ayon
Ayon 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
#6,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,937
+1,278 bearers (+34.9%)
Per 100,000 1.67
Rank movement Up 1,494 places
2020
#6,743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,808
-129 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Up 86 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,323 | 3,659 | 1.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,829 | 4,937 | 1.67 | +1,278 bearers (+34.9%) | Up 1,494 places |
| 2020 | #6,743 | 4,808 | 1.61 | -129 bearers (-2.6%) | Up 86 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 Ayon 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 | #6,829 | #6,743 | 1.3% |
| Count | 4,937 | 4,808 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.67 | 1.61 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ayon bearers went from 4,937 to 4,808 (-2.6% change). The surname moved up 86 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,829 to #6,743.
FAQ
Ayon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ayon?
Name Census estimates that about 5,513 living Americans carry the surname Ayon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,172 residents.
How common is Ayon?
Ayon ranks #6,743 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 4,808 people with the surname Ayon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,513), 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 Ayon.
Has Ayon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ayon went from 4,937 recorded bearers to 4,808. That is a decrease of 129 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,829 to #6,743.
What does the Census say about the background of Ayon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ayon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ayon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (4,543 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ayon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.5%), White (3.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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 Ayon (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 Ayon mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the place name Ayón, referring to someone from the town of Ayón. 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 Ayon (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 last name Ayon?
See how many people have the last name Ayon on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.