2000
#1,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,761
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.77
Uncommon Last name
Bonner
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O Cnaimhsighe," meaning "descendant of the midwife" or "descendant of the bone-setter."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 36,261 Americans carry the last name Bonner. That puts it at #1,088 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,452 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bonner 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bonner with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
36K
1 in 9,452
Census rank
#1,088
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
32K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 31,621 bearers of the surname Bonner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1088th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonner, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.9%. The next largest groups are Black (40.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bonner
The surname Bonner is believed to have originated in England, with its roots dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "bune," which means "a band or binding," or the Old French word "bon," meaning "good." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a maker of bonnets or headbands, or someone who was considered a good or virtuous person.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bonner can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England. The name appears in various forms, such as "Bunere" and "Bonere," indicating the variations in spelling that were common during that time.
In the 13th century, records show a Robert Bonner who was a prominent landowner in Oxfordshire, England. Another noteworthy figure was Edmund Bonner (c. 1500-1569), who served as the Bishop of London during the reign of Mary I and was known for his persecution of Protestants during the English Reformation.
The Bonner surname has also been associated with several place names, such as Bonner in Nottinghamshire, England, and Bonner Springs in Kansas, United States. The latter was named after Robert Bonner, an early settler in the area in the 19th century.
Other notable individuals with the surname Bonner include William Bonner (1804-1899), an English artist and illustrator known for his watercolor paintings of landscapes and architectural subjects. Robert Jasper Bonner (1817-1899) was an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Bonner Bridge, a notable structure connecting the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
In more recent times, the Bonner surname has been associated with several accomplished individuals, such as Yelena Bonner (1923-2011), a Russian human rights activist and the wife of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Andrei Sakharov. Paul Bonner (1939-2020) was an American lawyer and civil rights activist who played a crucial role in the desegregation of public schools in the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bonner
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonner, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.9%. The next largest groups are Black (40.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bonner 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 Bonner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.9% · 16,087
- Black or African American40.7% · 12,856
- Two or more races4.6% · 1,439
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 958
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 186
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 95
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bonner
Bonner 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
#1,042
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,446
+1,685 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 11.34
Rank movement Down 37 places
2020
#1,088
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,621
-1,825 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 10.58
Rank movement Down 46 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,005 | 31,761 | 11.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,042 | 33,446 | 11.34 | +1,685 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 37 places |
| 2020 | #1,088 | 31,621 | 10.58 | -1,825 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 46 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 Bonner 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 | #1,042 | #1,088 | -4.4% |
| Count | 33,446 | 31,621 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 11.34 | 10.58 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bonner bearers went from 33,446 to 31,621 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 46 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,042 to #1,088.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bonner
FAQ
Bonner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bonner?
Name Census estimates that about 36,261 living Americans carry the surname Bonner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,452 residents.
How common is Bonner?
Bonner ranks #1,088 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 31,621 people with the surname Bonner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (36,261), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Bonner.
Has Bonner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bonner went from 33,446 recorded bearers to 31,621. That is a decrease of 1,825 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,042 to #1,088.
What does the Census say about the background of Bonner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonner, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.9%. The next largest groups are Black (40.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bonner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.9% (16,087 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bonner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.9%), Black (40.7%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Bonner (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 Bonner mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O Cnaimhsighe," meaning "descendant of the midwife" or "descendant of the bone-setter." 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 Bonner (10.58 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 Americans have the surname Bonner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.