2000
#41,859
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 489
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.18
Very Rare Last name
Onnen
A surname derived from the Old High German word "onnen," meaning favor or luck.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 631 Americans carry the last name Onnen. That puts it at #42,463 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 543,192 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Onnen 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
631
1 in 543,192
Census rank
#42,463
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
550
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 550 bearers of the surname Onnen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 42463rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Onnen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Onnen
The surname Onnen is of German origin, and it is believed to have first emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "onno," which means "luck" or "fortune."
Onnen was initially a descriptive surname given to individuals who were considered fortunate or lucky. This practice of assigning surnames based on personal characteristics or occupations was common during the Middle Ages.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Onnen can be found in various historical documents from different parts of Germany. One notable example is the mention of a certain Henrich Onnen in the town records of Lübeck, dated 1389.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in the records of the city of Magdeburg, where a family by the name of Onnen was documented as landowners and merchants. This family likely played a significant role in the local economy and politics of the region.
As the name spread across different regions of Germany, it underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Onen, Ohnen, and Önnen. Some of these variations were likely influenced by local dialects and pronunciation differences.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Onnen was Hans Onnen (1502-1567), a German theologian and reformer who played a crucial role in the spread of Protestantism in the region of Saxony.
Another prominent figure bearing the name was Johann Onnen (1614-1679), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (Chapel Master) in the court of the Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg.
In the 18th century, Johann Christoph Onnen (1735-1809) was a renowned German philosopher and educator who made significant contributions to the field of pedagogy.
The 19th century saw the rise of Carl Onnen (1820-1892), a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded one of the earliest steel manufacturing companies in the Ruhr region.
More recently, in the 20th century, Elke Onnen (1937-2008) was a German actress and author known for her roles in numerous television series and films.
While the surname Onnen is not among the most common in Germany, it has a rich history and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, and entrepreneurs, who have left their mark on German society and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Onnen
Among Census respondents with the surname Onnen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Onnen 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 Onnen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 495
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 21
- Two or more races3.1% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 8
- Black or African American1.1% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Onnen
Onnen 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
#42,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 510
+21 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 652 places
2020
#42,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 550
+40 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Up 48 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #41,859 | 489 | 0.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #42,511 | 510 | 0.17 | +21 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 652 places |
| 2020 | #42,463 | 550 | 0.18 | +40 bearers (+7.8%) | Up 48 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 Onnen 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 | #42,511 | #42,463 | 0.1% |
| Count | 510 | 550 | 7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.18 | 8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Onnen bearers went from 510 to 550 (+7.8% change). The surname moved up 48 positions in the national ranking, going from #42,511 to #42,463.
FAQ
Onnen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Onnen?
Name Census estimates that about 631 living Americans carry the surname Onnen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 543,192 residents.
How common is Onnen?
Onnen ranks #42,463 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.18 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 550 people with the surname Onnen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (631), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.18 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 Onnen.
Has Onnen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Onnen went from 510 recorded bearers to 550. That is an increase of 40 (+7.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #42,511 to #42,463.
What does the Census say about the background of Onnen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Onnen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Onnen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (495 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Onnen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Onnen (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 Onnen mean?
A surname derived from the Old High German word "onnen," meaning favor or luck. 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 Onnen (0.18 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 Onnen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.