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

Bonce, 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 Bonce surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bonce in America

Bonce is the 160975th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bonce surname appeared 100 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Bonce.

The history of the last name Bonce

The surname BONCE originated in England, with the earliest known records dating back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "bunce," which meant a thick or heavy blow, possibly referring to someone who was stocky or robust in build.

In the 15th century, the name appeared in various forms such as "Bunce," "Bonce," and "Baunce" in historical records from Suffolk and Essex counties in East Anglia. One of the earliest recorded instances is a mention of a John Bonce in the parish records of Ipswich, Suffolk, in 1427.

The name BONCE may have also been associated with specific locations or place names, as was common in medieval times. For example, the village of Bunce in Warwickshire could have contributed to the name's origin or spread.

Notable individuals bearing the surname BONCE include William Bonce, a wealthy merchant and landowner from Essex, who lived in the late 16th century. Another prominent figure was Sir Thomas Bonce, a distinguished lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas in the 17th century (1610-1679).

In the 18th century, John Bonce (1704-1772) was a renowned clockmaker and inventor from Wiltshire, credited with developing a revolutionary striking mechanism for clocks. His son, also named John Bonce (1735-1813), followed in his footsteps and became a notable clockmaker as well.

During the 19th century, the name BONCE gained further recognition with the exploits of Captain James Bonce (1812-1887), a British naval officer who served with distinction in the Crimean War and was later appointed as the Governor of the Bahamas.

While the origins of the surname BONCE can be traced back to medieval England, it is worth noting that variations of the name, such as "Bunce" and "Bonce," have also been found in other parts of the world, potentially indicating migration or shared linguistic roots.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bonce

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

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 Bonce 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.

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 Bonce was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bonce, 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!