2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bonnee
A variant form of the French surname Bonnet, meaning good or pleasant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Bonnee. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bonnee 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Bonnee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonnee, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.5%. The next largest groups are Black (31.7%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bonnee
The surname BONNEE is of French origin, tracing its roots back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "bon," meaning "good" or "virtuous." The name was likely first adopted as a descriptive nickname for someone with a kind or amiable nature.
In the early 13th century, records show various spellings such as Bonné, Bonnee, and Bonney appearing in historical documents from the northern regions of France, particularly in the provinces of Normandy and Picardy. It is believed that the name may have been associated with certain villages or hamlets, but no definitive place of origin has been identified.
One of the earliest known bearers of this surname was Guillaume Bonnee, a merchant from the town of Rouen, whose name appears in tax records from the year 1284. Another notable figure was Jean Bonnee, a French soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War and is mentioned in chronicles from the 1360s.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England conducted in 1086, does not contain any entries for the surname BONNEE, suggesting that the name had not yet spread to England during that time period.
In the 15th century, the name appears to have gained prominence in England, possibly due to the influx of French immigrants following the Norman Conquest. One of the earliest recorded English bearers was John Bonney, a landowner from Devonshire, whose estate is mentioned in legal documents from 1472.
During the Tudor period, a notable figure was Sir Edward Bonney, a Member of Parliament and landowner from Cheshire, who lived from 1522 to 1598. Another prominent individual was Richard Bonney, a Puritan minister and author born in 1640 in Oxfordshire, who wrote several theological works.
In the 17th century, the name Bonnee appears in colonial records from New England, with one of the earliest settlers being Thomas Bonnee, who arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636 and later became a freeman of the town of Ipswich.
As the name spread across different regions and countries, various spelling variations emerged, including Bonney, Bonny, and Boney. Some notable bearers in later centuries include Henry Bonney, an English mathematician and inventor born in 1807, and Charles Bonney, an American lawyer and author born in 1831, who served as the president of the World's Congress of Religions in Chicago in 1893.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bonnee
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonnee, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.5%. The next largest groups are Black (31.7%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bonnee 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 Bonnee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.5% · 64
- Black or African American31.7% · 33
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bonnee
Bonnee 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,990 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 3,644 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 8,990 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 3,644 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 Bonnee 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 | #157,234 | #153,590 | 2.3% |
| Count | 103 | 104 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bonnee bearers went from 103 to 104 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 3,644 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #153,590.
FAQ
Bonnee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bonnee?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Bonnee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Bonnee?
Bonnee ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Bonnee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Bonnee.
Has Bonnee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bonnee went from 103 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 1 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Bonnee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonnee, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.5%. The next largest groups are Black (31.7%) and Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Bonnee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.5% (64 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bonnee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.5%), Black (31.7%), Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Bonnee (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 Bonnee mean?
A variant form of the French surname Bonnet, meaning good or pleasant. 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 Bonnee (0.03 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 are called Bonnee?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Bonnee on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.