Find out how popular the last name Son is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Son.

Son, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Son surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Son in America

Son is the 3541st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Son surname appeared 10,094 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Son.

We can also compare 2010 data for Son to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Son

The surname "Son" is believed to have originated in Scandinavia and Iceland during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norse word "sonr," which means "son." In these regions, surnames were often patronymic, meaning they were derived from the father's first name.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "Son" can be found in the Icelandic Landnámabók, a medieval manuscript detailing the settlement of Iceland. The manuscript mentions individuals with the patronymic "Sonr" or "Son" as early as the 9th century.

In England, the surname "Son" can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have been brought over by Scandinavian settlers during the Viking era. One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Willelmus filius Sone, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1202.

The surname "Son" was also prevalent in Scotland, particularly in the Orkney and Shetland Islands, which were under Norse influence for several centuries. Historical records from the 16th century, such as the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, mention individuals with the surname "Son" from these regions.

Notable individuals with the surname "Son" throughout history include:

1. Ingólfur Arnarson (c. 850 - c. 930), an Icelandic Norse explorer credited with being the first permanent settler of Iceland.
2. Jón Loftsson (c. 1124 - 1197), a powerful Icelandic chieftain and one of the most influential figures in the Sturlung era.
3. William Sonner (fl. 1500s), an English poet and playwright active during the reign of Henry VIII.
4. Robert Sone (c. 1550 - 1609), a Scottish poet and writer from Perth.
5. Christian Sonne (1622 - 1669), a Danish astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of the solar system.

The surname "Son" has also been associated with various place names, such as Sonning in Berkshire, England, which is derived from the Old English words "sunninga" and "tun," meaning "sunny place."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Son

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Son.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Son was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Son has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Son was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Son, please contact us.

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