2000
#6,994
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,419
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.64
Rare Last name
Bonney
A Norman French habitational surname referring to someone from the town of Bonnay in France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,780 Americans carry the last name Bonney. That puts it at #7,657 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 71,706 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bonney 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 Bonney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.8K
1 in 71,706
Census rank
#7,657
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,168 bearers of the surname Bonney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7657th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonney, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Hispanic (6.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bonney
The surname Bonney is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "bon" meaning "good" or "pleasant." It is believed to have emerged as a surname in the 12th or 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bonney can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a Robert Bony from Oxfordshire. Another early reference is from the Placita de Quo Warranto of 1292, which mentions a William Bony.
The name Bonney is thought to have originally been a descriptive nickname given to someone with a pleasant or good-natured disposition. It may also have derived from a place name, such as Bonney in Nottinghamshire.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, including Bony, Boney, and Bonny. These spelling variations were common in the Middle Ages due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
One notable bearer of the Bonney surname was William Bonney, also known as Billy the Kid (1859-1881), an American outlaw and gunfighter of the American Old West. He was infamous for his involvement in the Lincoln County War and his numerous escapes from law enforcement.
Another historical figure with the Bonney surname was Joseph Bonney (1733-1816), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars.
In the 16th century, the Bonney family was prominent in Somerset, England. John Bonney (c.1550-1627) was a Member of Parliament for Taunton in 1597 and 1601.
The surname Bonney can also be found in early records from Normandy, France, where it may have originated as a variant of the French surname Bonhomme, meaning "good man."
Sarah Bonney (1792-1879) was an American educator and philanthropist who established one of the first public schools for girls in Massachusetts.
Thomas Bonney (1833-1923) was a renowned British geologist and professor at University College London, known for his contributions to the study of glacial geology and the geology of the Alps.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bonney
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonney, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Hispanic (6.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bonney 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 Bonney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.5% · 3,106
- Black or African American11.9% · 497
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 286
- Two or more races4.5% · 186
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 53
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bonney
Bonney 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
#7,413
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,491
+72 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Down 419 places
2020
#7,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,168
-323 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 244 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,994 | 4,419 | 1.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,413 | 4,491 | 1.52 | +72 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 419 places |
| 2020 | #7,657 | 4,168 | 1.39 | -323 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 244 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 Bonney 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 | #7,413 | #7,657 | -3.3% |
| Count | 4,491 | 4,168 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.52 | 1.39 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bonney bearers went from 4,491 to 4,168 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 244 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,413 to #7,657.
FAQ
Bonney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bonney?
Name Census estimates that about 4,780 living Americans carry the surname Bonney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 71,706 residents.
How common is Bonney?
Bonney ranks #7,657 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.39 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 4,168 people with the surname Bonney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,780), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.39 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 Bonney.
Has Bonney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bonney went from 4,491 recorded bearers to 4,168. That is a decrease of 323 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,413 to #7,657.
What does the Census say about the background of Bonney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonney, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Hispanic (6.9%). 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 Bonney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.5% (3,106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bonney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.5%), Black (11.9%), Hispanic (6.9%). 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 Bonney (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 Bonney mean?
A Norman French habitational surname referring to someone from the town of Bonnay in France. 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 Bonney (1.39 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 common is the surname Bonney?
You can see how many people are called Bonney on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.