2000
#12,277
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,323
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Bonar
A Scottish locational surname derived from a place in Fife, likely meaning "bone ford" or "fordable river."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,540 Americans carry the last name Bonar. That puts it at #13,208 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 134,943 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bonar 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bonar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 134,943
Census rank
#13,208
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,215 bearers of the surname Bonar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13208th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonar, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bonar
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonar, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bonar 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 Bonar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 1,954
- Two or more races3.8% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 75
- Black or African American2.6% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bonar
Bonar 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
#12,012
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,599
+276 bearers (+11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Up 265 places
2020
#13,208
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,215
-384 bearers (-14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 1,196 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,277 | 2,323 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,012 | 2,599 | 0.88 | +276 bearers (+11.9%) | Up 265 places |
| 2020 | #13,208 | 2,215 | 0.74 | -384 bearers (-14.8%) | Down 1,196 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 Bonar 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 | #12,012 | #13,208 | -10.0% |
| Count | 2,599 | 2,215 | -14.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.74 | -15.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bonar bearers went from 2,599 to 2,215 (-14.8% change). The surname moved down 1,196 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,012 to #13,208.
FAQ
Bonar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bonar?
Name Census estimates that about 2,540 living Americans carry the surname Bonar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 134,943 residents.
How common is Bonar?
Bonar ranks #13,208 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,215 people with the surname Bonar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,540), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Bonar.
Has Bonar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bonar went from 2,599 recorded bearers to 2,215. That is a decrease of 384 (-14.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,012 to #13,208.
What does the Census say about the background of Bonar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonar, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Bonar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (1,954 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bonar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Bonar (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 Bonar mean?
A Scottish locational surname derived from a place in Fife, likely meaning "bone ford" or "fordable river." 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 Bonar (0.74 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 share the surname Bonar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.