2000
#1,955
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,890
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.26
Uncommon Last name
Coon
A surname derived from a nickname for a shrewd or sly person, or from an occupational name for a cook.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,465 Americans carry the last name Coon. That puts it at #2,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,562 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Coon 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 Coon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 18,562
Census rank
#2,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,102 bearers of the surname Coon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Coon, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Coon
The surname COON originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "cuna," which means "a brave man" or "a bold man." The earliest recorded use of this surname dates back to the 13th century in the county of Lincolnshire.
One of the earliest references to the COON surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, an ancient census record from the reign of King Edward I. The name is also mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Leicestershire from 1327, indicating its presence in that region during the 14th century.
In the 15th century, the COON surname appeared in various records across England, including the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 and the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1474. These documents reveal the widespread distribution of the name throughout the country.
Notable individuals with the COON surname include John Coon (1590-1659), a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, best known for his business dealings with the Shakespearean family. Another historical figure was William Coon (1635-1698), a Puritan settler who established one of the first farms in the colony of Massachusetts Bay.
In the 18th century, the COON surname gained recognition through the work of Thomas Coon (1720-1795), a renowned clockmaker and inventor from Oxfordshire. His innovative designs and timepieces were highly sought after by the British aristocracy.
During the 19th century, the COON name was associated with several influential figures, such as Sir Cyril Coon (1825-1892), a British diplomat and politician who served as the Governor of Gibraltar from 1880 to 1888. Additionally, Charles Coon (1842-1927) was a prominent American industrialist and philanthropist who founded the Coon Manufacturing Company, a leading producer of agricultural machinery.
The COON surname has also been linked to various place names throughout history. For instance, the village of Coonhall in Staffordshire is believed to have derived its name from the Old English words "cuna" and "halh," meaning "the hall of the brave man." Similarly, the hamlet of Coonbury in Wiltshire may have originated from the combination of "cuna" and "burh," referring to a fortified settlement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Coon
Among Census respondents with the surname Coon, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Coon 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 Coon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 14,360
- Two or more races3.7% · 603
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 464
- Black or African American1.9% · 303
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 267
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 105
Timeline
Historical Census data for Coon
Coon 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
#2,116
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,097
+207 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 5.80
Rank movement Down 161 places
2020
#2,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,102
-995 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 5.39
Rank movement Down 89 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,955 | 16,890 | 6.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,116 | 17,097 | 5.80 | +207 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 161 places |
| 2020 | #2,205 | 16,102 | 5.39 | -995 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 89 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 Coon 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 | #2,116 | #2,205 | -4.2% |
| Count | 17,097 | 16,102 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 5.80 | 5.39 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Coon bearers went from 17,097 to 16,102 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 89 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,116 to #2,205.
FAQ
Coon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Coon?
Name Census estimates that about 18,465 living Americans carry the surname Coon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,562 residents.
How common is Coon?
Coon ranks #2,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,102 people with the surname Coon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,465), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Coon.
Has Coon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Coon went from 17,097 recorded bearers to 16,102. That is a decrease of 995 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,116 to #2,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Coon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Coon, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Coon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (14,360 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Coon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Coon (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 Coon mean?
A surname derived from a nickname for a shrewd or sly person, or from an occupational name for a cook. 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 Coon (5.39 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 many people have the last name Coon?
See how many people have the surname Coon on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.