2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Bonefont
A locative surname referring to someone from a place containing a good spring or well.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Bonefont. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bonefont 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Bonefont in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonefont, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.2%. The next largest groups are White (8.4%) and Black (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bonefont
The surname Bonefont has its origins in France during the late medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the northern regions of the country, particularly in the areas surrounding Paris and the Île-de-France region. The name is derived from the Old French words "bon" meaning good, and "font" meaning a spring or well, suggesting a connection to a location with a reliable water source.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bonefont can be found in the Livre des Bourgeois de Rouen, a historical document dating back to the 14th century, which listed the names of citizens in the city of Rouen. This suggests that the name may have been present in Normandy as well.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Jean Bonefont (c.1420-1489) was a respected lawyer and advisor to the French king Louis XI. He played a significant role in the legal and political affairs of the time.
Another historical reference to the name Bonefont can be found in the records of the French town of Rouvres-en-Plaine, where a family bearing this surname owned a sizable estate in the 16th century. One member of this family, Etienne Bonefont (1532-1602), was a prominent landowner and local official.
During the 17th century, a notable individual named Marie Bonefont (1618-1674) gained recognition as a skilled embroiderer and textile artist in Paris, with her works being highly sought after by the French nobility.
In the 18th century, a French philosopher and writer named Jacques Bonefont (1728-1798) made significant contributions to the Enlightenment movement with his works exploring themes of reason, liberty, and human rights.
As the name spread across France and into other regions, variations in spelling emerged, such as Bonefons and Bonefont. Additionally, the name may have been influenced by the place names of towns or villages where families bearing this surname resided.
While the surname Bonefont is not among the most common in France today, it has left a notable historical footprint, with several individuals bearing this name making contributions to various fields over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bonefont
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonefont, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.2%. The next largest groups are White (8.4%) and Black (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bonefont 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 Bonefont surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino83.2% · 89
- White8.4% · 9
- Black or African American5.6% · 6
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bonefont
Bonefont appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+5 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,793 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.9%) | Up 6,793 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 Bonefont 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 | #158,432 | #151,639 | 4.3% |
| Count | 102 | 107 | 4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bonefont bearers went from 102 to 107 (+4.9% change). The surname moved up 6,793 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #151,639.
FAQ
Bonefont surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bonefont?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Bonefont. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Bonefont?
Bonefont ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Bonefont. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bonefont.
Has Bonefont become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bonefont went from 102 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 5 (+4.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Bonefont?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonefont, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.2%. The next largest groups are White (8.4%) and Black (5.6%). 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 Bonefont in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.2% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bonefont appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (83.2%), White (8.4%), Black (5.6%). 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 Bonefont (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 Bonefont mean?
A locative surname referring to someone from a place containing a good spring or well. 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 Bonefont (0.04 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 Bonefont?
You can see how many people have the last name Bonefont on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.