2000
#7,962
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,855
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.43
Rare Last name
Bonnett
A French occupational surname for a maker or seller of bonnets or hats.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,159 Americans carry the last name Bonnett. That puts it at #8,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,413 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bonnett 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 Bonnett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 82,413
Census rank
#8,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,627 bearers of the surname Bonnett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonnett, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bonnett
The surname Bonnett is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "bonet," which means "small hat" or "cap." This name likely emerged in France during the medieval period, possibly as an occupational name for someone who made or sold hats or caps.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Bonnett can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists several individuals with variations of the name, such as Bonet and Bonnet, in various parts of England. It is believed that these individuals were of Norman descent and came to England after the Norman Conquest in 1066.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Bonnett was Robert Bonnet, who lived in Lincolnshire, England, in the 13th century. In the same century, a man named William Bonnet was listed as a landowner in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire.
The name Bonnett can also be found in various historical records from other parts of Europe, such as France and Germany. In France, the surname was sometimes spelled as Bonnet or Bonnette, while in Germany, it was commonly written as Bonnet or Bonnett.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Bonnett. One example is Jacques Bonnett (1574-1655), a French engraver and printmaker known for his portraits and religious subjects. Another is Jeremiah Bonnett (1766-1846), an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Senator from New Hampshire.
Other notable individuals with the surname Bonnett include:
1. Percival Bonnett (1856-1927), a British actor and playwright.
2. Alvin C. Bonnett (1899-1973), an American businessman and philanthropist.
3. Laurence Bonnett (1901-1989), a British artist and illustrator.
4. Henry Bonnett (1926-2017), an American baseball player.
5. Patricia Bonnett (born 1942), a British actress and writer.
The surname Bonnett has also been associated with various place names, such as Bonnett's Mill in Virginia, USA, and Bonnett's Town in Maryland, USA, both of which were likely named after early settlers or landowners with the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bonnett
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonnett, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bonnett 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 Bonnett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.1% · 2,905
- Black or African American10.4% · 376
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 176
- Two or more races3.4% · 123
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bonnett
Bonnett 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
#8,239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,023
+168 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 277 places
2020
#8,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,627
-396 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Down 443 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,962 | 3,855 | 1.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,239 | 4,023 | 1.36 | +168 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 277 places |
| 2020 | #8,682 | 3,627 | 1.21 | -396 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 443 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 Bonnett 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 | #8,239 | #8,682 | -5.4% |
| Count | 4,023 | 3,627 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.36 | 1.21 | -10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bonnett bearers went from 4,023 to 3,627 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 443 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,239 to #8,682.
FAQ
Bonnett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bonnett?
Name Census estimates that about 4,159 living Americans carry the surname Bonnett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,413 residents.
How common is Bonnett?
Bonnett ranks #8,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.21 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 3,627 people with the surname Bonnett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,159), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.21 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 Bonnett.
Has Bonnett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bonnett went from 4,023 recorded bearers to 3,627. That is a decrease of 396 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,239 to #8,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Bonnett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonnett, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Bonnett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.1% (2,905 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bonnett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.1%), Black (10.4%), Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Bonnett (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 Bonnett mean?
A French occupational surname for a maker or seller of bonnets 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 Bonnett (1.21 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 Bonnett?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.