2000
#65,492
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 283
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Johner
A surname indicating geographical origin from the town of Jonen or Jonau in Switzerland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 295 Americans carry the last name Johner. That puts it at #79,808 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,161,879 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Johner 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
295
1 in 1,161,879
Census rank
#79,808
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
257
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 257 bearers of the surname Johner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 79808th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Johner, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Johner
The surname Johner is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval era. It is a patronymic name, derived from the personal name Johann, the German form of John. This name ultimately stems from the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious."
The earliest recorded instances of the name Johner can be found in various German historical records and chronicles from the 13th and 14th centuries. Some of these early mentions include Hans Johner, a merchant from Nuremberg in the late 1300s, and Kunz Johner, a landowner in Bamberg, whose name appears in a deed from 1428.
During the Renaissance period, the Johner family gained prominence in the region of Saxony. Notably, Johann Johner (1502-1559) was a renowned Lutheran theologian and reformer who worked closely with Martin Luther. His writings and sermons played a significant role in spreading the Protestant Reformation across Germany.
Another notable figure bearing the Johner surname was Maria Johner (1724-1798), a German sculptor and woodcarver from Bavaria. Her intricate religious sculptures adorned numerous churches and monasteries throughout Southern Germany, and her works are still celebrated for their exquisite craftsmanship.
In the 19th century, the Johner name appeared in various regions of Germany, including Prussia and Hesse. One notable individual was Friedrich Johner (1801-1876), a Prussian statesman and politician who served as the Minister of Finance for the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt.
The name Johner has also been associated with several places in Germany, such as Johnersdorf, a village in Saxony, and Johnersberg, a hill located near the town of Bühl in Baden-Württemberg. These place names likely derived from early settlers or landowners bearing the Johner surname.
Other notable figures throughout history with the surname Johner include:
1. Heinrich Johner (1865-1942), a German architect and urban planner known for his work in Berlin and Frankfurt.
2. Alois Johner (1885-1966), an Austrian painter and illustrator renowned for his landscape and genre paintings.
3. Erwin Johner (1909-1989), a Swiss sculptor and painter, known for his abstract works and public installations.
4. Konrad Johner (1925-2015), a German football player and manager, who played for Bayern Munich and managed several Bundesliga teams.
5. Petra Johner (born 1960), a German artist and photographer, known for her experimental photographic techniques and multimedia installations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Johner
Among Census respondents with the surname Johner, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Johner 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 Johner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 243
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 5
- Two or more races1.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 3
- Black or African American0.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Johner
Johner 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
#79,075
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 241
-42 bearers (-14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 13,583 places
2020
#79,808
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 257
+16 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 733 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #65,492 | 283 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #79,075 | 241 | 0.08 | -42 bearers (-14.8%) | Down 13,583 places |
| 2020 | #79,808 | 257 | 0.09 | +16 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 733 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 Johner 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 | #79,075 | #79,808 | -0.9% |
| Count | 241 | 257 | 6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.09 | 7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Johner bearers went from 241 to 257 (+6.6% change). The surname moved down 733 positions in the national ranking, going from #79,075 to #79,808.
FAQ
Johner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Johner?
Name Census estimates that about 295 living Americans carry the surname Johner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,161,879 residents.
How common is Johner?
Johner ranks #79,808 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 257 people with the surname Johner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (295), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Johner.
Has Johner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Johner went from 241 recorded bearers to 257. That is an increase of 16 (+6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #79,075 to #79,808.
What does the Census say about the background of Johner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Johner, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Johner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (243 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Johner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Hispanic (1.9%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Johner (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 Johner mean?
A surname indicating geographical origin from the town of Jonen or Jonau in Switzerland. 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 Johner (0.09 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 Johner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.