2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Boning
A surname likely derived from a location name or occupation involving bone processing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Boning. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boning 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Boning in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boning, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boning
The surname BONING is believed to have originated in England. It is derived from the Old English word "boning", which means "a bending" or "a curve". This name was likely given to someone who lived near a bend in a river or road.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BONING surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Boning". This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the 11th century.
In the 13th century, the name BONING was found in various records from the county of Lincolnshire, particularly in the area around the town of Louth. This may indicate that the name originated in this region.
One notable individual with the BONING surname was John BONING, who was born in Louth, Lincolnshire, in 1547. He was a prominent merchant and served as a alderman in the town.
Another early record of the BONING name comes from the Yorkshire parish registers of the 16th century, where it appears as "Bonynge". This variation in spelling was common in earlier times before standardized spellings became more widespread.
In the 17th century, the BONING surname was also found in the records of the city of London. One example is Thomas BONING, who was born in London in 1628 and worked as a merchant.
During the 18th century, the BONING name spread to other parts of England, including the county of Derbyshire. A notable figure from this period was William BONING, born in Derbyshire in 1745, who was a successful landowner and farmer.
The 19th century saw the BONING surname continue to be present in various regions of England. One individual of note was Mary BONING, born in Lincolnshire in 1810, who was a prominent educator and advocate for women's education.
Throughout its history, the BONING surname has also been associated with various place names and locations, such as Boning Green in Derbyshire and Boning Lane in Lincolnshire, further reinforcing its connection to the idea of a "bending" or "curve".
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boning
Among Census respondents with the surname Boning, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Boning 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 Boning surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.0% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino10.4% · 12
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boning
Boning 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
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+9 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,012 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.5%) | Up 8,012 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 Boning 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 | #153,769 | #145,757 | 5.2% |
| Count | 106 | 115 | 8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boning bearers went from 106 to 115 (+8.5% change). The surname moved up 8,012 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #145,757.
FAQ
Boning surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boning?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Boning. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Boning?
Boning ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Boning. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Boning.
Has Boning become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boning went from 106 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 9 (+8.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Boning?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boning, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Boning in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boning appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.0%), Hispanic (10.4%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Boning (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 Boning mean?
A surname likely derived from a location name or occupation involving bone processing. 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 Boning (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 common is the surname Boning?
You can see how many people have the surname Boning on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.