Find out how popular the last name Bonar is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bonar.

Bonar, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bonar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bonar in America

Bonar is the 12012th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bonar surname appeared 2,599 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bonar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bonar to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bonar

The surname Bonar has its origins in Scotland, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "bon air", meaning "good air" or "pleasant climate", suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived in an area with a favorable climate.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which list individuals who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The name appears here as "Bonair", possibly an early spelling variation.

In the 15th century, the name is found in various Scottish records, such as the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland, often spelled as "Bonar" or "Bonnar". This suggests that the name had become more firmly established in its current form by this time.

The Bonar surname is particularly associated with the Scottish Highlands, where it was prevalent in areas such as Ross-shire and Sutherland. It is possible that the name may have been linked to specific place names in these regions, although the exact connections are uncertain.

Notable individuals with the surname Bonar include:

1. Andrew Bonar (1637-1659), a Scottish minister and theologian who was one of the leading figures in the Covenanter movement.
2. John Bonar (1721-1761), a Scottish philosopher and moral philosopher who wrote on the theory of moral sentiments.
3. Horatius Bonar (1808-1889), a Scottish minister and poet who wrote many well-known hymns, including "I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say".
4. Andrew Bonar (1810-1892), a Scottish Presbyterian minister and missionary who served in India and Palestine.
5. James Bonar (1852-1941), a Scottish-born Australian politician who served as Premier of Victoria from 1917 to 1924.

While the Bonar surname has a long history in Scotland, it has also been carried by individuals and families in other parts of the world, particularly through emigration and migration in more recent centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bonar

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bonar.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bonar was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bonar has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bonar was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bonar, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!