2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Coonfare
A surname derived from an Old English phrase meaning "traveler or wayfarer by night".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Coonfare. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Coonfare 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.
Bearers in the US
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Coonfare in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Coonfare, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Coonfare
The surname COONFARE has its origins in the ancient Anglian settlement of Coonfare near the town of Easingwold in North Yorkshire, England. Its earliest recorded spelling was Cunfar in the Domesday Book of 1086, derived from the Old English words "cun" meaning brave or bold, and "fær" meaning journey or traveler.
The name likely referred to an intrepid traveler or adventurer from the village of Coonfare. In the 12th century, the spelling evolved to Cunfare, and by the 13th century, it had morphed into its modern form of COONFARE. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Robert de Coonfare, a landowner mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1195.
In the 14th century, the COONFARE name appeared in various records across northern England, including the York Minster registers and the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield. Notable individuals from this period include John COONFARE, a merchant from York who traded in wool and cloth (born c. 1320), and Alice COONFARE, a landholder in Easingwold mentioned in the Feudal Aids of 1428.
During the Tudor period, several COONFARE families were recorded in the Visitations of Yorkshire, including the armigerous branch descended from William COONFARE of Coxwold (born c. 1510). Another notable figure was Thomas COONFARE, a Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake in Lewes, Sussex, in 1557 for his religious beliefs.
In the 17th century, the COONFARE name spread beyond Yorkshire, with records showing families in London, Lancashire, and Lincolnshire. One prominent bearer was Sir John COONFARE (1620-1689), a wealthy merchant and Lord Mayor of London in 1681.
Other historical figures include Captain James COONFARE (1745-1812), a naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War, and Emily COONFARE (1802-1876), a noted author and poet from Gloucestershire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Coonfare
Among Census respondents with the surname Coonfare, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Coonfare 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 Coonfare surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 111
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Coonfare
Coonfare 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,489 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+4 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 799 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 12,489 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.4%) | Up 799 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 Coonfare 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 | #142,108 | #141,309 | 0.6% |
| Count | 117 | 121 | 3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Coonfare bearers went from 117 to 121 (+3.4% change). The surname moved up 799 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #141,309.
FAQ
Coonfare surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Coonfare?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Coonfare. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Coonfare?
Coonfare ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 121 people with the surname Coonfare. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Coonfare.
Has Coonfare become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Coonfare went from 117 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 4 (+3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #142,108 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Coonfare?
Among Census respondents with the surname Coonfare, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Coonfare in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Coonfare appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Coonfare (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 Coonfare mean?
A surname derived from an Old English phrase meaning "traveler or wayfarer by night". 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 Coonfare (0.04 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 are called Coonfare?
Want to know how many people have the last name Coonfare? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.