2000
#7,276
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,224
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.57
Rare Last name
Rhone
A toponymic surname indicating someone who lived near the Rhône River in France or Switzerland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,995 Americans carry the last name Rhone. That puts it at #7,380 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,619 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rhone 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 Rhone with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 68,619
Census rank
#7,380
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,356 bearers of the surname Rhone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7380th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rhone, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.5%. The next largest groups are White (29.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rhone
The surname Rhone is believed to have originated in France, specifically in the region surrounding the Rhone River. The name likely emerged in the Middle Ages, derived from the French word "Rhône," which refers to the major river that flows through southeastern France.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Rhone can be found in the 13th-century census records of Lyon, a city situated along the banks of the Rhone River. These records indicate that the name was closely associated with individuals who lived near or worked on the river, such as boatmen, fishermen, or merchants.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the Rhone name began to spread beyond the immediate vicinity of the river, appearing in various historical documents and records across the regions of Provence and Languedoc. It is believed that some bearers of the name may have been involved in the transportation of goods along the Rhone River, contributing to the dispersal of the name.
Notable individuals with the surname Rhone include Jean Rhone, a prominent merchant from Avignon who lived in the late 15th century. His successful trading ventures along the Rhone River brought him considerable wealth and influence. Another notable figure was Pierre Rhone, a 16th-century scholar and historian who authored a comprehensive work on the history and geography of the Rhone Valley.
In the 17th century, the Rhone surname appeared in the records of the French nobility, suggesting that some branches of the family had achieved a certain level of social status and prominence. One example is François Rhone, a nobleman and landowner who was granted a coat of arms by King Louis XIV in recognition of his family's contributions to the region.
The 18th century saw the emergence of several artists and intellectuals with the surname Rhone, including the painter Jacques Rhone, whose works depicting scenes along the Rhone River are highly regarded. Another notable figure was Marie-Anne Rhone, a celebrated playwright and poet who gained recognition for her literary works inspired by the rich cultural heritage of the Rhone Valley.
As the centuries passed, the Rhone surname continued to be associated with individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, artisans, scholars, and artists, all connected to the iconic Rhone River and its surrounding regions in France.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rhone
Among Census respondents with the surname Rhone, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.5%. The next largest groups are White (29.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Rhone 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 Rhone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American60.5% · 2,636
- White29.8% · 1,297
- Two or more races5.4% · 234
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 138
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rhone
Rhone 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
#7,167
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,667
+443 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Up 109 places
2020
#7,380
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,356
-311 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Down 213 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,276 | 4,224 | 1.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,167 | 4,667 | 1.58 | +443 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 109 places |
| 2020 | #7,380 | 4,356 | 1.46 | -311 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 213 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 Rhone 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 | #7,167 | #7,380 | -3.0% |
| Count | 4,667 | 4,356 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.58 | 1.46 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rhone bearers went from 4,667 to 4,356 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 213 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,167 to #7,380.
FAQ
Rhone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rhone?
Name Census estimates that about 4,995 living Americans carry the surname Rhone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,619 residents.
How common is Rhone?
Rhone ranks #7,380 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.46 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 4,356 people with the surname Rhone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,995), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.46 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 Rhone.
Has Rhone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rhone went from 4,667 recorded bearers to 4,356. That is a decrease of 311 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,167 to #7,380.
What does the Census say about the background of Rhone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rhone, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.5%. The next largest groups are White (29.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Rhone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.5% (2,636 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rhone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (60.5%), White (29.8%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Rhone (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 Rhone mean?
A toponymic surname indicating someone who lived near the Rhône River in France or Switzerland. 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 Rhone (1.46 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 Rhone?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.