2000
#15,093
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,793
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Jonson
An English patronymic surname derived from the personal name Jon (John) via the addition of -son.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,190 Americans carry the last name Jonson. That puts it at #14,888 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 156,509 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jonson 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 Jonson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 156,509
Census rank
#14,888
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,910 bearers of the surname Jonson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14888th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jonson, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.5%. The next largest groups are Black (25.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jonson
The surname JONSON is of English origin, dating back to the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is a patronymic surname, derived from the given name "John" and the suffix "-son," meaning "son of John." This naming convention was common in England, where surnames were often derived from a person's father's name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname JONSON can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which mention a William Jonson. The name also appears in various other historical records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the 14th century.
The JONSON surname is closely associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most famous bearers of this name was Ben Jonson (1572-1637), an English playwright, poet, actor, and literary critic, widely regarded as one of the most prominent figures in the English Renaissance. His plays, such as "Volpone" and "The Alchemist," are considered classics of English literature.
Another notable figure was Samuel Jonson (1649-1713), a renowned English critic and scholar who wrote influential works on literary criticism and lexicography. He is best known for his monumental work, "A Dictionary of the English Language," which was published in 1755 and is considered one of the first comprehensive dictionaries of the English language.
In the 18th century, the JONSON surname was also associated with the British explorer and naval officer, William Jonson (1715-1794), who led several expeditions to the Arctic regions and contributed to the mapping of the Canadian Arctic archipelago.
The name JONSON is also linked to various places and geographic locations. For instance, there is a village called Jonson's Croft in Cumbria, England, which may have derived its name from an early settler or landowner with the JONSON surname.
Other notable individuals with the JONSON surname include Richard Jonson (1573-1659), an English clergyman and writer, and Charles Jonson (1794-1873), a British naval officer and explorer who was involved in surveying the coast of Western Australia.
While the JONSON surname is most commonly found in England and parts of the United Kingdom, it has also spread to other regions through migration and diaspora. However, its origins and earliest recorded instances can be traced back to medieval England, where it emerged as a patronymic surname derived from the given name "John."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jonson
Among Census respondents with the surname Jonson, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.5%. The next largest groups are Black (25.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Jonson 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 Jonson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.5% · 1,079
- Black or African American25.2% · 482
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.9% · 150
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 102
- Two or more races4.2% · 81
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jonson
Jonson 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
#16,219
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,780
-13 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 1,126 places
2020
#14,888
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,910
+130 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 1,331 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,093 | 1,793 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,219 | 1,780 | 0.60 | -13 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 1,126 places |
| 2020 | #14,888 | 1,910 | 0.64 | +130 bearers (+7.3%) | Up 1,331 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 Jonson 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 | #16,219 | #14,888 | 8.2% |
| Count | 1,780 | 1,910 | 7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.60 | 0.64 | 6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jonson bearers went from 1,780 to 1,910 (+7.3% change). The surname moved up 1,331 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,219 to #14,888.
FAQ
Jonson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jonson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,190 living Americans carry the surname Jonson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 156,509 residents.
How common is Jonson?
Jonson ranks #14,888 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,910 people with the surname Jonson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,190), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Jonson.
Has Jonson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jonson went from 1,780 recorded bearers to 1,910. That is an increase of 130 (+7.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,219 to #14,888.
What does the Census say about the background of Jonson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jonson, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.5%. The next largest groups are Black (25.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.9%). 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 Jonson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.5% (1,079 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jonson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (56.5%), Black (25.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.9%). 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 Jonson (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 Jonson mean?
An English patronymic surname derived from the personal name Jon (John) via the addition of -son. 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 Jonson (0.64 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 are called Jonson?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Jonson, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.