2000
#13,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,061
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Bonnet
A French occupational surname for a maker or seller of bonnets, caps, or hats.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,502 Americans carry the last name Bonnet. That puts it at #13,357 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,992 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bonnet 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 Bonnet with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 136,992
Census rank
#13,357
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,182 bearers of the surname Bonnet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13357th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonnet, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.1%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Hispanic (16.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bonnet
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonnet, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.1%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Hispanic (16.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bonnet 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 Bonnet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.1% · 1,267
- Black or African American21.0% · 458
- Hispanic or Latino16.2% · 353
- Two or more races3.5% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bonnet
Bonnet 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
#13,541
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,240
+179 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 19 places
2020
#13,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,182
-58 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 184 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,522 | 2,061 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,541 | 2,240 | 0.76 | +179 bearers (+8.7%) | Down 19 places |
| 2020 | #13,357 | 2,182 | 0.73 | -58 bearers (-2.6%) | Up 184 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 Bonnet 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 | #13,541 | #13,357 | 1.4% |
| Count | 2,240 | 2,182 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.73 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bonnet bearers went from 2,240 to 2,182 (-2.6% change). The surname moved up 184 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,541 to #13,357.
FAQ
Bonnet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bonnet?
Name Census estimates that about 2,502 living Americans carry the surname Bonnet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,992 residents.
How common is Bonnet?
Bonnet ranks #13,357 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,182 people with the surname Bonnet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,502), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Bonnet.
Has Bonnet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bonnet went from 2,240 recorded bearers to 2,182. That is a decrease of 58 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,541 to #13,357.
What does the Census say about the background of Bonnet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonnet, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.1%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Hispanic (16.2%). 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 Bonnet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.1% (1,267 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bonnet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.1%), Black (21.0%), Hispanic (16.2%). 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 Bonnet (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 Bonnet mean?
A French occupational surname for a maker or seller of bonnets, caps, or hats. 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 Bonnet (0.73 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 share the surname Bonnet?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.