2000
#3,337
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,824
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.64
Uncommon Last name
Cone
An English occupational surname for a maker or seller of cones, derived from the Old English "cōn."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,740 Americans carry the last name Cone. That puts it at #3,688 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,914 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cone 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 Cone with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,914
Census rank
#3,688
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.4K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,366 bearers of the surname Cone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3688th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cone, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cone
The surname CONE is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "con," which means "conical shape" or "cone-shaped hill." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a prominent conical hill or worked in an occupation related to cones or cone-shaped objects.
The earliest recorded use of the surname CONE can be traced back to the late 12th century in the county of Wiltshire, England. One of the earliest documented individuals with this name was Robert de Cone, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Wiltshire in 1195.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as Coon, Coun, and Coone, reflecting the inconsistencies in spelling during that time period. The CONE surname is also found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were census-like records of landowners in England.
During the 14th century, the name CONE started appearing in other parts of England, including Yorkshire and Gloucestershire. One notable individual was John Cone, a wealthy merchant from Bristol who was born around 1320 and owned several properties in the area.
In the 15th century, the CONE surname spread further across England, and variations like Coane, Cohn, and Coyn emerged. One prominent figure was Sir William Cone (c. 1450-1520), a Member of Parliament who served under King Henry VIII.
As the centuries passed, the CONE surname continued to be found throughout England, and some bearers of the name migrated to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the American colonies. Notable individuals with the CONE surname include:
1. Thomas Cone (1609-1684), an early settler in New Haven, Connecticut, and one of the founders of the town of Haddam, Connecticut.
2. Jonathan Cone (1718-1781), an American Revolutionary War soldier and patriot from Massachusetts.
3. Spencer Houghton Cone (1785-1855), an American Baptist minister and educator who founded the Cone Female Academy in New York.
4. Herman Cone (1857-1920), an American textile entrepreneur and co-founder of the successful Cone Mills Corporation in North Carolina.
5. Claribel Cone (1864-1929) and Etta Cone (1870-1949), American art collectors and patrons who amassed a significant collection of avant-garde artworks, including works by Matisse and Picasso.
The CONE surname has a rich history dating back to medieval England, and its bearers have made significant contributions across various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cone
Among Census respondents with the surname Cone, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cone 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 Cone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.0% · 7,872
- Black or African American7.3% · 686
- Two or more races3.9% · 368
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 324
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 78
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 38
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cone
Cone 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
#3,583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,935
+111 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 3.37
Rank movement Down 246 places
2020
#3,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,366
-569 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 3.13
Rank movement Down 105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,337 | 9,824 | 3.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,583 | 9,935 | 3.37 | +111 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 246 places |
| 2020 | #3,688 | 9,366 | 3.13 | -569 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 105 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 Cone 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 | #3,583 | #3,688 | -2.9% |
| Count | 9,935 | 9,366 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.37 | 3.13 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cone bearers went from 9,935 to 9,366 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 105 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,583 to #3,688.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cone
FAQ
Cone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cone?
Name Census estimates that about 10,740 living Americans carry the surname Cone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,914 residents.
How common is Cone?
Cone ranks #3,688 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,366 people with the surname Cone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,740), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Cone.
Has Cone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cone went from 9,935 recorded bearers to 9,366. That is a decrease of 569 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,583 to #3,688.
What does the Census say about the background of Cone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cone, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Cone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.0% (7,872 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.0%), Black (7.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Cone (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 Cone mean?
An English occupational surname for a maker or seller of cones, derived from the Old English "cōn." 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 Cone (3.13 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 have the last name Cone?
See how many Americans have the surname Cone on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.