2000
#5,713
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,565
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.06
Rare Last name
Koons
Derived from the German surname Kuhns, referring to someone who lived near a bold or daring place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,845 Americans carry the last name Koons. That puts it at #6,413 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,641 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Koons 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
5.8K
1 in 58,641
Census rank
#6,413
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,097 bearers of the surname Koons in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6413th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Koons, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Koons
The surname Koons has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 15th century. It is believed to have originated from the Low German word "kone," which meant "brave" or "bold." The name was likely given as a descriptive nickname to someone who displayed such qualities.
In the early days, the name was often spelled in various ways, including Kohn, Koen, and Koen. Some records suggest that the name may have been influenced by the German word "kuhn," meaning "daring" or "courageous."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Koons can be found in the Heidelberg archives from the late 1400s, where a certain Hans Koons was documented as a merchant in the city.
The name Koons can also be traced back to certain place names in Germany, such as Koenigsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia) and Koenigshain (in Saxony). It's possible that some individuals bearing the name may have originated from these or similar locations.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Johann Koons (1525-1587) was a renowned theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Germany.
Another prominent individual with the surname Koons was General John Koons (1813-1897), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War. He fought in several major battles, including the Battle of Gettysburg.
In the realm of arts and culture, Jeff Koons (born 1955) is a celebrated American artist known for his iconic sculptures and his significant contributions to the pop art movement.
Another noteworthy figure was Judith Koons (1898-1984), an American author and journalist who wrote extensively about women's issues and social reforms in the early 20th century.
Lastly, the name Koons can be found in the annals of science, with physicist Robert Koons (born 1955), a renowned philosopher and professor of philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin, making significant contributions to the fields of cosmology and philosophy of physics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Koons
Among Census respondents with the surname Koons, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Koons 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 Koons surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 4,740
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 140
- Two or more races2.6% · 132
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 40
- Black or African American0.6% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Koons
Koons 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
#6,278
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,442
-123 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.84
Rank movement Down 565 places
2020
#6,413
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,097
-345 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Down 135 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,713 | 5,565 | 2.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,278 | 5,442 | 1.84 | -123 bearers (-2.2%) | Down 565 places |
| 2020 | #6,413 | 5,097 | 1.71 | -345 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 135 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 Koons 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 | #6,278 | #6,413 | -2.2% |
| Count | 5,442 | 5,097 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.84 | 1.71 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Koons bearers went from 5,442 to 5,097 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 135 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,278 to #6,413.
FAQ
Koons surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Koons?
Name Census estimates that about 5,845 living Americans carry the surname Koons. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,641 residents.
How common is Koons?
Koons ranks #6,413 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.71 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 5,097 people with the surname Koons. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,845), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.71 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 Koons.
Has Koons become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Koons went from 5,442 recorded bearers to 5,097. That is a decrease of 345 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,278 to #6,413.
What does the Census say about the background of Koons?
Among Census respondents with the surname Koons, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Koons in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (4,740 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Koons appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Koons (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 Koons mean?
Derived from the German surname Kuhns, referring to someone who lived near a bold or daring place. 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 Koons (1.71 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 Koons?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.