2000
#18,087
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,421
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.53
Rare Last name
Fonda
An Italian place name referring to a deep pool or hollow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,288 Americans carry the last name Fonda. That puts it at #23,348 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 266,114 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fonda 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
1.3K
1 in 266,114
Census rank
#23,348
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,123 bearers of the surname Fonda in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 23348th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fonda, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fonda
The surname Fonda originated in Italy during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "fonda," which means "deep place" or "hollow." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived in a low-lying or sunken area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fonda surname can be found in a document from the 13th century, where a person named Guglielmo Fonda was mentioned in a tax record from the city of Genoa. This indicates that the name was already in use by that time.
In the 14th century, the Fonda family was known to be prominent in the northern Italian region of Piedmont. The name appears in several historical records from that time, including land deeds and legal documents. Some notable individuals from this period include Pietro Fonda, a merchant who lived in the town of Asti in the late 1300s.
During the Renaissance period, the Fonda family gained prominence in the city of Venice, where they were involved in various trades and professions. One of the most famous Fondas from this era was Antonio Fonda, a renowned painter who lived from 1485 to 1558.
In the 17th century, the Fonda name began to spread beyond Italy, as members of the family immigrated to other parts of Europe. One notable example is Jean-Baptiste Fonda, a French soldier who fought in the Thirty Years' War and was born in 1612.
As the centuries passed, the Fonda surname continued to be carried by notable individuals in various fields. One example is the American actress Jane Fonda, born in 1937, who is known for her work in films such as "Klute" and "Coming Home." Another famous Fonda is her father, Henry Fonda, a renowned actor born in 1905, who starred in classic movies like "The Grapes of Wrath" and "On Golden Pond."
It is worth noting that variations of the Fonda surname have also existed throughout history, including Fonda di, Fondaco, and Fondari, among others. These variations often reflect the different regional dialects and spelling conventions of the areas where the name was used.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fonda
Among Census respondents with the surname Fonda, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Fonda 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 Fonda surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 1,003
- Black or African American4.3% · 48
- Two or more races3.0% · 34
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fonda
Fonda 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
#18,729
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,466
+45 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.50
Rank movement Down 642 places
2020
#23,348
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,123
-343 bearers (-23.4%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Down 4,619 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,087 | 1,421 | 0.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,729 | 1,466 | 0.50 | +45 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 642 places |
| 2020 | #23,348 | 1,123 | 0.38 | -343 bearers (-23.4%) | Down 4,619 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 Fonda 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 | #18,729 | #23,348 | -24.7% |
| Count | 1,466 | 1,123 | -23.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.50 | 0.38 | -24.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fonda bearers went from 1,466 to 1,123 (-23.4% change). The surname moved down 4,619 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,729 to #23,348.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Fonda
FAQ
Fonda surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fonda?
Name Census estimates that about 1,288 living Americans carry the surname Fonda. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 266,114 residents.
How common is Fonda?
Fonda ranks #23,348 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.38 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 1,123 people with the surname Fonda. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,288), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.38 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 Fonda.
Has Fonda become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fonda went from 1,466 recorded bearers to 1,123. That is a decrease of 343 (-23.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #18,729 to #23,348.
What does the Census say about the background of Fonda?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fonda, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Fonda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (1,003 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fonda appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Black (4.3%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Fonda (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 Fonda mean?
An Italian place name referring to a deep pool or hollow. 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 Fonda (0.38 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 Fonda?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.