2000
#6,754
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,601
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.71
Rare Last name
Rone
A variant of the Irish surname Rowan, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Ruadháin," meaning "descendant of the red-haired one."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,781 Americans carry the last name Rone. That puts it at #12,253 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,249 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rone 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 Rone with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 123,249
Census rank
#12,253
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,425 bearers of the surname Rone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12253rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rone, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.4%. The next largest groups are Black (34.6%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rone
The surname RONE is of English origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word 'roun,' which referred to a rough or hairy person. This descriptive nickname likely evolved into a hereditary surname over time.
The earliest recorded instances of the RONE surname can be found in various historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries. For example, the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1279 mention a William Roun, while the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 list a John Rone.
One notable bearer of the RONE surname was Sir John Rone, a prominent landowner and knight from Oxfordshire who lived in the late 15th century. He served as a Member of Parliament for the county in 1472 and 1478.
In the 16th century, the RONE surname was also found in various parts of southern England, particularly in the counties of Somerset, Dorset, and Devon. The Subsidy Rolls of Somerset from 1523 list a Thomas Rone, while the Protestation Returns of Dorset in 1641 mention a Nicholas Rone.
Another notable figure with the RONE surname was Richard Rone, a Puritan minister from Nottinghamshire who lived in the early 17th century. He was a prominent member of the Westminster Assembly, which was responsible for establishing the doctrinal standards of the Church of England.
The RONE surname has also been linked to various place names, such as Rowenhurst in Gloucestershire and Rownall in Staffordshire. These locations may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname over time.
By the 18th century, the RONE surname had spread to other parts of England, as well as to Wales and Scotland. Some notable bearers of the name during this period include John Rone (1714-1789), a renowned scholar and writer from Yorkshire, and William Rone (1745-1821), a successful merchant and philanthropist from Bristol.
Throughout its history, the RONE surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including landowners, clergymen, scholars, and merchants. While the name may have originated as a descriptive nickname, it has since become a well-established surname with a rich heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rone
Among Census respondents with the surname Rone, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.4%. The next largest groups are Black (34.6%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Rone 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 Rone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.4% · 1,320
- Black or African American34.6% · 839
- Two or more races5.5% · 133
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rone
Rone 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
#9,821
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,296
-1,305 bearers (-28.4%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Down 3,067 places
2020
#12,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,425
-871 bearers (-26.4%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 2,432 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,754 | 4,601 | 1.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,821 | 3,296 | 1.12 | -1,305 bearers (-28.4%) | Down 3,067 places |
| 2020 | #12,253 | 2,425 | 0.81 | -871 bearers (-26.4%) | Down 2,432 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 Rone 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 | #9,821 | #12,253 | -24.8% |
| Count | 3,296 | 2,425 | -26.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.12 | 0.81 | -27.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rone bearers went from 3,296 to 2,425 (-26.4% change). The surname moved down 2,432 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,821 to #12,253.
FAQ
Rone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rone?
Name Census estimates that about 2,781 living Americans carry the surname Rone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,249 residents.
How common is Rone?
Rone ranks #12,253 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 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 2,425 people with the surname Rone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,781), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 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 Rone.
Has Rone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rone went from 3,296 recorded bearers to 2,425. That is a decrease of 871 (-26.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,821 to #12,253.
What does the Census say about the background of Rone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rone, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.4%. The next largest groups are Black (34.6%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Rone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.4% (1,320 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (54.4%), Black (34.6%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Rone (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 Rone mean?
A variant of the Irish surname Rowan, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Ruadháin," meaning "descendant of the red-haired one." 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 Rone (0.81 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 Rone?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.