2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Onque
An uncommon surname potentially derived from the French word "onque" meaning "ever" or "at any time".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Onque. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Onque 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Onque in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Onque, the largest self-reported group is Black at 88.0%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Onque
The surname Onque has its origins in France, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 12th century. The name is believed to have derived from the Old French word "oncque," which means "ever" or "at any time." It is possible that the name was initially a nickname given to someone who was particularly old or had lived a long life.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Onque can be found in the Livre des Métiers, a medieval document compiled in Paris between 1268 and 1300, which lists various professions and trades. The name appears in the section dedicated to tailors, suggesting that some individuals with this surname were involved in the textile industry during that time period.
In the 14th century, the name Onque appeared in several legal documents and land records in the Normandy region of France. For instance, a certain Jehan Onque was mentioned in a deed of transfer in the town of Rouen in 1362. This indicates that the name had spread beyond its initial origins and was also present in other parts of northern France.
The earliest known bearer of the surname Onque was Guillemin Onque, who was born around 1290 in the village of Laon, in the former province of Picardy. He was a farmer and landowner, as recorded in a census document from 1315. Another notable figure was Étienne Onque, a merchant from Paris who lived between 1435 and 1502 and was involved in the trade of spices and textiles.
In the 16th century, the name Onque appeared in several religious records, suggesting that some individuals with this surname were members of the clergy or held positions within the Catholic Church. For example, a Father Pierre Onque was listed as a parish priest in the town of Beauvais in 1567.
Throughout the following centuries, the Onque surname continued to be present in various parts of France, with some variations in spelling, such as Oncque or Onck. One prominent figure was Jacques Onque, a French military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the Légion d'Honneur for his bravery in battle. He lived from 1785 to 1862.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Onque
Among Census respondents with the surname Onque, the largest self-reported group is Black at 88.0%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Onque 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 Onque surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American88.0% · 88
- White5.0% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 4
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Onque
Onque appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-6 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 1,913 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 1,913 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 Onque 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 | #153,769 | #155,682 | -1.2% |
| Count | 106 | 100 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Onque bearers went from 106 to 100 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 1,913 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #155,682.
FAQ
Onque surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Onque?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Onque. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Onque?
Onque ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Onque. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Onque.
Has Onque become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Onque went from 106 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #153,769 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Onque?
Among Census respondents with the surname Onque, the largest self-reported group is Black at 88.0%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Onque in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Onque appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (88.0%), White (5.0%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Onque (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 Onque mean?
An uncommon surname potentially derived from the French word "onque" meaning "ever" or "at any time". 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 Onque (0.03 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 Onque?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.