2000
#13,359
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,092
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Boon
A surname of French origin meaning "good" or referring to someone who was a blessing to others.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,459 Americans carry the last name Boon. That puts it at #13,554 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,388 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boon 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 Boon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 139,388
Census rank
#13,554
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,144 bearers of the surname Boon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13554th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boon, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.8%) and Black (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boon
The surname BOON is of ancient Scandinavian origin, derived from the Old Norse word "bún" meaning "a temporary dwelling or shelter". It first emerged in the early medieval period, particularly in parts of northern England and Scotland that were influenced by Norse settlers and Vikings.
BOON is believed to have been initially used as a descriptive name for individuals who lived in such temporary dwellings or shelters, likely referring to those who led a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle. Over time, it evolved into a hereditary surname passed down through generations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BOON surname appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book mentions a landowner named Godric Bun, whose name could be an early variant of the BOON surname.
In the 13th century, the BOON surname was also found in various medieval records and charters, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which list a person named Willelmus Bun. Another early example is Thomas Bune, who was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273.
During the late medieval and early modern periods, the BOON surname spread across various regions of the British Isles, with varying spellings like Boone, Boun, and Boyn appearing in different areas. One notable individual was Sir Thomas Boone (c. 1575-1645), an English politician and landowner from Worcestershire.
In Scotland, the BOON surname has a long history, with notable figures such as Andrew Boon (c. 1585-1653), a Scottish merchant and burgess of Edinburgh. Another prominent Scot was James Boon (1717-1792), a philosopher and professor at Marischal College in Aberdeen.
In the Americas, the BOON surname gained prominence with individuals like Daniel Boone (1734-1820), the legendary American pioneer and frontiersman who explored and helped settle the Appalachian wilderness. Another notable American was Levi Parsons Boon (1808-1892), a politician and lawyer from Indiana.
Throughout its history, the BOON surname has been associated with various place names and locations, such as Boon Hill in Wiltshire, England, and Boonville, a city in Missouri, United States, named after the Boone family.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boon
Among Census respondents with the surname Boon, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.8%) and Black (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Boon 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 Boon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.1% · 1,654
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.8% · 168
- Black or African American6.1% · 131
- Two or more races4.5% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 74
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boon
Boon 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
#13,370
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,279
+187 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 11 places
2020
#13,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,144
-135 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 184 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,359 | 2,092 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,370 | 2,279 | 0.77 | +187 bearers (+8.9%) | Down 11 places |
| 2020 | #13,554 | 2,144 | 0.72 | -135 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 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 Boon 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 | #13,370 | #13,554 | -1.4% |
| Count | 2,279 | 2,144 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.72 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boon bearers went from 2,279 to 2,144 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 184 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,370 to #13,554.
FAQ
Boon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boon?
Name Census estimates that about 2,459 living Americans carry the surname Boon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,388 residents.
How common is Boon?
Boon ranks #13,554 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,144 people with the surname Boon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,459), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Boon.
Has Boon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boon went from 2,279 recorded bearers to 2,144. That is a decrease of 135 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,370 to #13,554.
What does the Census say about the background of Boon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boon, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.8%) and Black (6.1%). 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 Boon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.1% (1,654 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.8%), Black (6.1%). 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 Boon (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 Boon mean?
A surname of French origin meaning "good" or referring to someone who was a blessing to others. 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 Boon (0.72 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 Boon?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.