Find out how popular the last name Bonnet is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bonnet.

Bonnet, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bonnet surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bonnet in America

Bonnet is the 13541st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bonnet surname appeared 2,240 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bonnet.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bonnet to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bonnet

The surname Bonnet originated in France and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "bonet," which referred to a type of headwear worn during that time period. The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who wore a distinctive bonnet or cap.

The earliest recorded instances of the Bonnet surname can be found in various medieval records and documents from regions such as Normandy, Brittany, and Île-de-France. One notable example is Roger Bonnet, a Norman knight who participated in the Third Crusade (1189-1192) under the leadership of King Richard I of England.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in the records of the Hundred Rolls, which were census-like surveys conducted in England during the reign of King Edward I. These records mention individuals such as Radulphus Bonnet and Willelmus Bonnet, both residing in the county of Oxfordshire.

The Bonnet surname also has connections to various place names in France, such as Bonnétable, a commune in the department of Sarthe. This place name is believed to have derived from the Latin word "bonitas," meaning "goodness" or "excellence," and may have influenced the surname's spelling variations over time.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Bonnet surname. One such figure was Pierre Bonnet (1638-1703), a French Protestant theologian and philosopher who made significant contributions to the study of Calvinism and natural theology.

Another prominent bearer of the name was Georges-Étienne Bonnet (1720-1805), a Swiss naturalist and philosopher who made important discoveries in the field of entomology and wrote extensively on topics such as the reproduction of aphids.

In the realm of literature, Charles Bonnet (1720-1793), a Swiss philosopher and naturalist, is renowned for his work on the theory of evolution and his contributions to the study of parthenogenesis (asexual reproduction) in insects.

During the French Revolution, the Bonnet family played a significant role, with Jean-Baptiste Bonnet (1758-1834) serving as a member of the National Convention and later becoming a member of the Council of Ancients.

In the 19th century, Édouard Bonnet (1809-1875) was a French jurist and politician who served as the Minister of Justice and Public Instruction under the Second French Empire.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bonnet

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bonnet.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bonnet was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bonnet has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bonnet was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bonnet, please contact us.

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