2000
#79,394
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 223
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Rare Last name
Jonnson
A patronymic surname originating in Scandinavia, meaning "son of Jonni".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,432 Americans carry the last name Jonnson. That puts it at #6,829 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,099 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jonnson 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
5.4K
1 in 63,099
Census rank
#6,829
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,737 bearers of the surname Jonnson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6829th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jonnson, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.1%. The next largest groups are Black (39.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jonnson
The surname Jonnson is of Scandinavian origin, specifically from Sweden and Norway. It dates back to the medieval period and is a patronymic name, meaning it was derived from the father's first name. In this case, Jonnson is the son of a man named Jonn or Jon, which is a variation of the name John.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Jonnson can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various Swedish and Norwegian records and manuscripts. One notable example is the appearance of the name in the Norwegian book "Landnåmabók," which chronicles the settlement of Iceland by Norse settlers.
In its earliest forms, the name was often spelled as "Jonsson" or "Jönsson," reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. Over time, the spelling evolved to the more commonly recognized "Jonnson" form.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Jonnson was Magnus Jonnson, a Swedish clergyman who lived in the late 13th century. Another notable figure was Eirik Jonnson, a Norwegian explorer who is believed to have been one of the first Europeans to set foot in North America, predating Christopher Columbus by several centuries.
During the medieval period, the Jonnson surname was often associated with families from rural areas or small villages in Scandinavia. As such, it was not uncommon for the surname to be linked to specific place names or locations, such as "Jonnson of Lund" or "Jonnson of Bergen."
In the 16th century, a prominent individual named Nils Jonnson was a Swedish military leader and statesman who played a significant role in the country's struggle for independence from Denmark.
Another noteworthy figure was Peder Jonnson, a Norwegian priest and scholar who lived in the 17th century and authored several influential religious texts.
As the centuries progressed, the Jonnson surname continued to be prevalent in Scandinavia, and individuals with this name contributed to various fields, including arts, literature, and academia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jonnson
Among Census respondents with the surname Jonnson, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.1%. The next largest groups are Black (39.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Jonnson 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 Jonnson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.1% · 2,373
- Black or African American39.8% · 1,886
- Two or more races4.6% · 217
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 162
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jonnson
Jonnson 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
#110,286
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 160
-63 bearers (-28.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 30,892 places
2020
#6,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,737
+4,577 bearers (+2860.6%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Up 103,457 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #79,394 | 223 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #110,286 | 160 | 0.05 | -63 bearers (-28.3%) | Down 30,892 places |
| 2020 | #6,829 | 4,737 | 1.58 | +4,577 bearers (+2860.6%) | Up 103,457 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 Jonnson 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 | #110,286 | #6,829 | 93.8% |
| Count | 160 | 4,737 | 2860.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 1.58 | 3069.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jonnson bearers went from 160 to 4,737 (+2860.6% change). The surname moved up 103,457 positions in the national ranking, going from #110,286 to #6,829.
FAQ
Jonnson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jonnson?
Name Census estimates that about 5,432 living Americans carry the surname Jonnson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,099 residents.
How common is Jonnson?
Jonnson ranks #6,829 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,737 people with the surname Jonnson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,432), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Jonnson.
Has Jonnson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jonnson went from 160 recorded bearers to 4,737. That is an increase of 4,577 (+2860.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #110,286 to #6,829.
What does the Census say about the background of Jonnson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jonnson, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.1%. The next largest groups are Black (39.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Jonnson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.1% (2,373 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jonnson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.1%), Black (39.8%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Jonnson (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 Jonnson mean?
A patronymic surname originating in Scandinavia, meaning "son of Jonni". 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 Jonnson (1.58 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 common is the surname Jonnson?
You can see how many people are called Jonnson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.