2000
#12,767
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,218
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Ono
A Japanese surname meaning "small field," likely referring to the size or location of an ancestral agricultural holding.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,299 Americans carry the last name Ono. That puts it at #14,354 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,088 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ono 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
2.3K
1 in 149,088
Census rank
#14,354
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,005 bearers of the surname Ono in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14354th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ono, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.0%) and White (6.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ono
The surname ONO is of Japanese origin, dating back to the 10th century. It is believed to have derived from the Japanese word "ono," which means "axe" or "hatchet." This connection suggests that the name may have originated from a family or individual involved in woodworking or forestry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ono can be found in the Shoku Nihongi, an imperial chronicle from the 8th century. The name appears in reference to a samurai warrior named Ono no Azumabito, who served under the Japanese Emperor Kammu during the late Nara period.
In the 12th century, the Ono family gained prominence as a powerful clan in the Musashi Province (present-day Saitama Prefecture). Several members of the Ono clan held influential positions within the shogunate and the imperial court during the Kamakura and Muromachi periods.
During the Edo period (1603-1868), the Ono name was associated with various daimyo (feudal lords) and samurai families. One notable figure was Ono Tadaaki (1598-1645), a daimyo of the Hachinohe Domain in northern Honshu. Another prominent individual was Ono Harunaga (1702-1764), a scholar and poet who served as a retainer to the Shogun Tokugawa Ieshige.
In more recent history, the Ono surname has been carried by several notable individuals, including:
1. Ono no Komachi (c. 825-900), a renowned Japanese waka poet from the Heian period.
2. Ono Azusa (1891-1942), a Japanese feminist and activist who advocated for women's rights and education.
3. Ono Yoko (born 1933), a multimedia artist and activist, best known as the widow of John Lennon and her involvement in the anti-war movement.
4. Ono Masatsugu (1904-1994), a Japanese film director and screenwriter who played a significant role in the development of the Japanese cinema.
5. Ono Daisuke (born 1988), a Japanese professional baseball player who currently plays for the Orix Buffaloes in the Nippon Professional Baseball league.
While the Ono surname can be found in various regions of Japan, it is particularly concentrated in the prefectures of Saitama, Tokyo, and Kanagawa, reflecting its historical roots in the Kanto region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ono
Among Census respondents with the surname Ono, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.0%) and White (6.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ono 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 Ono surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander77.1% · 1,546
- Two or more races10.0% · 201
- White6.9% · 139
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 100
- Black or African American0.8% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ono
Ono 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
#14,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,143
-75 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 1,283 places
2020
#14,354
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,005
-138 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 304 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,767 | 2,218 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,050 | 2,143 | 0.73 | -75 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 1,283 places |
| 2020 | #14,354 | 2,005 | 0.67 | -138 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 304 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 Ono 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 | #14,050 | #14,354 | -2.2% |
| Count | 2,143 | 2,005 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.67 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ono bearers went from 2,143 to 2,005 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 304 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,050 to #14,354.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Ono
FAQ
Ono surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ono?
Name Census estimates that about 2,299 living Americans carry the surname Ono. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,088 residents.
How common is Ono?
Ono ranks #14,354 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,005 people with the surname Ono. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,299), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Ono.
Has Ono become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ono went from 2,143 recorded bearers to 2,005. That is a decrease of 138 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,050 to #14,354.
What does the Census say about the background of Ono?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ono, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.0%) and White (6.9%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ono in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.1% (1,546 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ono appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (77.1%), Two or More Races (10.0%), White (6.9%). 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 Ono (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 Ono mean?
A Japanese surname meaning "small field," likely referring to the size or location of an ancestral agricultural holding. 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 Ono (0.67 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 Ono?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.