2000
#7,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,937
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.46
Rare Last name
Bonin
French occupational surname for a maker or seller of bonnets, derived from Old French "bonnete" meaning "bonnet, headdress."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,246 Americans carry the last name Bonin. That puts it at #8,529 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,724 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bonin 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
4.2K
1 in 80,724
Census rank
#8,529
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,703 bearers of the surname Bonin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8529th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bonin
The surname Bonin originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "bon", meaning good or virtuous, and was likely originally a nickname given to someone of good character or morals.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bonin name can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of landholders in England compiled by order of William the Conqueror in 1086. In this text, a landowner named Rainald Bonin is listed as holding estates in Hertfordshire.
Over the centuries, the Bonin name spread across various regions of France, with different spellings emerging such as Bonnin, Bonain, and Bonnayn. Records from the 13th century mention a noble family named Bonin residing in the Burgundy region.
A notable early bearer of the Bonin name was Jean Bonin, a French scholar and theologian born around 1380 in Paris. He served as the rector of the University of Paris and played a significant role in the Council of Constance, a major ecclesiastical event held in the early 15th century.
Another historical figure with this surname was Barthélemy Bonin, a renowned French physician and botanist who lived from 1520 to 1596. He made important contributions to the study of medicinal plants and authored several influential works on the subject.
In the 17th century, Jacques Bonin (1619-1670) was a prominent French architect and engineer. He was responsible for designing and overseeing the construction of several notable buildings and fortifications, including the Citadel of Lille.
During the French Revolution, Jean-François Bonin (1749-1794) was a military officer who fought on the side of the revolutionaries. He rose to the rank of general and played a significant role in several battles before being executed during the Reign of Terror.
Another noteworthy individual with the Bonin surname was Charles Bonin (1823-1892), a French historian and writer. He authored several books on the history of Normandy and the city of Rouen, where he served as a municipal archivist.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bonin
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bonin 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 Bonin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 3,364
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 152
- Two or more races2.7% · 99
- Black or African American1.0% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bonin
Bonin 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
#8,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,034
+97 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 444 places
2020
#8,529
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,703
-331 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 303 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,782 | 3,937 | 1.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,226 | 4,034 | 1.37 | +97 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 444 places |
| 2020 | #8,529 | 3,703 | 1.24 | -331 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 303 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 Bonin 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 | #8,226 | #8,529 | -3.7% |
| Count | 4,034 | 3,703 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.24 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bonin bearers went from 4,034 to 3,703 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 303 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,226 to #8,529.
FAQ
Bonin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bonin?
Name Census estimates that about 4,246 living Americans carry the surname Bonin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,724 residents.
How common is Bonin?
Bonin ranks #8,529 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.24 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 3,703 people with the surname Bonin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,246), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.24 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 Bonin.
Has Bonin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bonin went from 4,034 recorded bearers to 3,703. That is a decrease of 331 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,226 to #8,529.
What does the Census say about the background of Bonin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Bonin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (3,364 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bonin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Bonin (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 Bonin mean?
French occupational surname for a maker or seller of bonnets, derived from Old French "bonnete" meaning "bonnet, headdress." 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 Bonin (1.24 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 surname Bonin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.