Find out how popular the last name Ionescu is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ionescu.

Ionescu, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ionescu surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ionescu in America

Ionescu is the 28065th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ionescu surname appeared 853 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Ionescu.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ionescu to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ionescu

The surname Ionescu has its origins in Romania, dating back to the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It is derived from the Romanian masculine given name "Ion," which is itself a variant of the Greek name "Ioannes," meaning "Yahweh is gracious." The suffix "-escu" is a patronymic ending, indicating "son of," so Ionescu literally translates to "son of Ion."

The name likely emerged as a way to distinguish individuals within the same family or community, a common practice in Eastern Europe during that time period. Early records show variations in spelling, such as Ionescu, Ionescu, and Ionescu, reflecting regional dialects and differences in pronunciation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Ionescu can be found in the "Condica Vistieriei," a financial register maintained by the Moldavian Principality in the late 18th century. This document lists several individuals with the name Ionescu, suggesting that the surname had already become established by that point.

Historically, the Ionescu family has produced several notable figures, including Toma Ionescu (1833-1897), a Romanian politician and jurist who served as the Minister of Justice and President of the Chamber of Deputies. Another prominent bearer of the name was Nicolae Ionescu (1859-1912), a renowned mathematician and educator who taught at the University of Bucharest.

In the 20th century, Eugen Ionescu (1909-1994) gained international recognition as a playwright and one of the leading figures of the Theatre of the Absurd movement. His plays, such as "The Bald Soprano" and "The Lesson," explored the absurdities and complexities of human existence through surreal and unconventional narratives.

Other notable individuals with the surname Ionescu include Mihai Ionescu (1904-1988), a Romanian diplomat and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Dumitru Ionescu (1918-2002), a renowned Romanian architect known for his work on the National Theatre in Bucharest and other notable buildings.

While the surname Ionescu has its roots in Romania, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and diaspora communities. However, its historical origins and significance remain deeply intertwined with Romanian culture and heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ionescu

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ionescu.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ionescu was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ionescu has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ionescu was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ionescu, please contact us.

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