2000
#3,800
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,572
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.18
Uncommon Last name
Jonas
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Jonah, meaning "dove" in Hebrew.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,165 Americans carry the last name Jonas. That puts it at #3,890 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,719 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jonas 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 Jonas with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 33,719
Census rank
#3,890
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,864 bearers of the surname Jonas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3890th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jonas, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jonas
The surname JONAS is of German and Scandinavian origin, derived from the Hebrew biblical name "Yonah" or "Yonatan," meaning "dove" or "gift of God." It is believed to have first appeared in Germany and the surrounding regions during the Middle Ages.
In Germany, the name JONAS emerged as a patronymic surname, indicating the name of the father or an ancestor. It was commonly adopted by the children of a man named Jonas or a variation of that name, such as Johann or Johannes.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname JONAS can be traced back to the 13th century in German and Scandinavian records. In Denmark, for instance, a man named Jonas Olafsson was mentioned in a document from the year 1278.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname JONAS was Johannes Jonas, a German theologian and Protestant Reformer who lived from 1493 to 1555. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
Another historical figure bearing the surname JONAS was Justus Jonas, a German lawyer and diplomat who lived from 1493 to 1555. He served as a legal advisor to the Elector of Saxony and was involved in the negotiations during the Reformation.
In the 16th century, the name JONAS appeared in various place names across Germany and Scandinavia, such as Jonasdorf, a village in Saxony, and Jonastorp, a locality in Sweden.
During the 17th century, the surname JONAS gained prominence in England, where it was likely introduced by German and Scandinavian immigrants. One notable English bearer of the name was Benjamin Jonas, a Puritan minister and author who lived from 1617 to 1697.
In the 18th century, the JONAS surname spread further across Europe and beyond. Gottfried Jonas, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1758 to 1827, was a notable figure from this period.
As the name JONAS expanded globally, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as Jonass, Jonasson, and Jonassen, reflecting regional differences and language adaptations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jonas
Among Census respondents with the surname Jonas, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Jonas 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 Jonas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.9% · 6,818
- Black or African American12.3% · 1,091
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 386
- Two or more races3.7% · 332
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 175
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 62
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jonas
Jonas 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
#3,937
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,043
+471 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 3.07
Rank movement Down 137 places
2020
#3,890
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,864
-179 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 2.97
Rank movement Up 47 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,800 | 8,572 | 3.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,937 | 9,043 | 3.07 | +471 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 137 places |
| 2020 | #3,890 | 8,864 | 2.97 | -179 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 47 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 Jonas 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 | #3,937 | #3,890 | 1.2% |
| Count | 9,043 | 8,864 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.07 | 2.97 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jonas bearers went from 9,043 to 8,864 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 47 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,937 to #3,890.
FAQ
Jonas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jonas?
Name Census estimates that about 10,165 living Americans carry the surname Jonas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,719 residents.
How common is Jonas?
Jonas ranks #3,890 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,864 people with the surname Jonas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,165), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Jonas.
Has Jonas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jonas went from 9,043 recorded bearers to 8,864. That is a decrease of 179 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,937 to #3,890.
What does the Census say about the background of Jonas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jonas, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Jonas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.9% (6,818 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jonas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.9%), Black (12.3%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Jonas (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 Jonas mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Jonah, meaning "dove" in Hebrew. 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 Jonas (2.97 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 last name Jonas?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Jonas on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.