2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Jona
A Portuguese surname derived from the biblical name Jonah.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Jona. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jona 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Jona in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jona, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (20.7%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jona
The surname JONA is believed to have originated in the Middle Ages, with roots tracing back to medieval Germany and the Germanic language. It is thought to have derived from the personal name "Jonas," which itself comes from the Hebrew name "Yonah," meaning "dove."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the JONA surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that the name was already in use among German-speaking populations during this time period.
In terms of geographical distribution, the JONA surname was initially concentrated in various regions of Germany, particularly in the states of Saxony and Bavaria. Over time, it spread to other parts of Europe, including Austria, Switzerland, and even further afield to regions such as Silesia (now part of Poland) and the Baltic states.
While there are no definitive records of the JONA surname appearing in major historical documents like the Domesday Book, it is likely that variations of the name existed in different parts of Europe during the Middle Ages and beyond.
One notable bearer of the JONA surname was Johann Jona (1624-1675), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg. Another was Johann Jona von Knoblauch (1670-1745), a Prussian military officer and cavalry commander during the Great Northern War.
In the 19th century, Carl Jona (1808-1877) was a German playwright and author, known for his satirical works and contributions to the Berliner Humoristische Blätter magazine. Around the same time, Heinrich Jona (1835-1902) was a German lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Reichstag for the National Liberal Party.
Moving into the 20th century, Otto Jona (1892-1971) was a German-born American architect who designed several notable buildings in Los Angeles, including the Beverly Hills City Hall and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
While these are just a few examples, the JONA surname has been carried by numerous individuals throughout history, each contributing to various fields and leaving their mark on the cultural and intellectual fabric of their respective eras.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jona
Among Census respondents with the surname Jona, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (20.7%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Jona 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 Jona surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.6% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander20.7% · 23
- Two or more races5.4% · 6
- Black or African American3.6% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jona
Jona 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
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
+21 bearers (+19.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,932 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-20 bearers (-15.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,840 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | +21 bearers (+19.1%) | Up 9,932 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-15.3%) | Down 18,840 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 Jona 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 | #129,825 | #148,665 | -14.5% |
| Count | 131 | 111 | -15.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jona bearers went from 131 to 111 (-15.3% change). The surname moved down 18,840 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #148,665.
FAQ
Jona surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jona?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Jona. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Jona?
Jona ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Jona. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Jona.
Has Jona become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jona went from 131 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 20 (-15.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Jona?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jona, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (20.7%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Jona in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.6% (75 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jona appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (20.7%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Jona (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 Jona mean?
A Portuguese surname derived from the biblical name Jonah. 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 Jona (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 have the surname Jona?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.