2000
#9,337
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,203
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.19
Rare Last name
Hone
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó hEóghaín," meaning "descendant of Eóghan" (a personal name meaning "born of the yew tree").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,295 Americans carry the last name Hone. That puts it at #14,387 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,348 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hone 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 Hone with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 149,348
Census rank
#14,387
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,001 bearers of the surname Hone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14387th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hone, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hone
The surname Hone has its origins in England, traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "hone," which means a hoarse or husky voice. This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname for someone with a distinctive voice quality.
In its earliest recorded instances, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Hone, Hoane, and Houn, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling during the medieval period. The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Berkshire.
One of the earliest known references to the surname Hone can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were administrative records compiled during the reign of King Edward I. These rolls documented individuals by their surnames, providing valuable insights into the origins and distribution of family names across England.
The surname Hone can also be traced back to place names, as it was common for people to adopt surnames based on the locations they were from or associated with. For instance, there is a village called Hone in Shropshire, which may have contributed to the surname's development.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Hone throughout history include:
1. Nathaniel Hone (1718-1784), an English portrait painter and satirist known for his works depicting contemporary society.
2. William Hone (1780-1842), an English writer, publisher, and satirist who was prosecuted for blasphemy and sedition but later acquitted.
3. Joseph Maundy Hone (1778-1851), an English engraver and writer, best known for his work "The Every-Day Book" published in the early 19th century.
4. Richard Hone (c. 1480-1546), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford in the 16th century.
5. Philip Hone (1780-1851), an American merchant, politician, and diarist who served as the Mayor of New York City from 1825 to 1826.
While these are just a few examples, the surname Hone has been present throughout various periods of history, with individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions contributing to its legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hone
Among Census respondents with the surname Hone, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hone 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 Hone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 1,789
- Two or more races3.1% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 51
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 47
- Black or African American2.2% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hone
Hone 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
#12,199
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,553
-650 bearers (-20.3%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 2,862 places
2020
#14,387
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,001
-552 bearers (-21.6%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 2,188 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,337 | 3,203 | 1.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,199 | 2,553 | 0.87 | -650 bearers (-20.3%) | Down 2,862 places |
| 2020 | #14,387 | 2,001 | 0.67 | -552 bearers (-21.6%) | Down 2,188 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 Hone 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 | #12,199 | #14,387 | -17.9% |
| Count | 2,553 | 2,001 | -21.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.67 | -23.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hone bearers went from 2,553 to 2,001 (-21.6% change). The surname moved down 2,188 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,199 to #14,387.
FAQ
Hone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hone?
Name Census estimates that about 2,295 living Americans carry the surname Hone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,348 residents.
How common is Hone?
Hone ranks #14,387 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,001 people with the surname Hone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,295), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Hone.
Has Hone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hone went from 2,553 recorded bearers to 2,001. That is a decrease of 552 (-21.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,199 to #14,387.
What does the Census say about the background of Hone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hone, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Hone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (1,789 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Hone (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 Hone mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó hEóghaín," meaning "descendant of Eóghan" (a personal name meaning "born of the yew tree"). 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 Hone (0.67 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 Hone?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.