2000
#4,189
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,843
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.91
Uncommon Last name
Son
A patronymic surname of Scandinavian origin meaning "son of," indicating the father's name preceded the suffix.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,531 Americans carry the last name Son. That puts it at #2,326 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,551 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Son 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 Son with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 19,551
Census rank
#2,326
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,288 bearers of the surname Son in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2326th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Son, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 59.7%. The next largest groups are White (18.7%) and Hispanic (11.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Son
Among Census respondents with the surname Son, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 59.7%. The next largest groups are White (18.7%) and Hispanic (11.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Son 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 Son surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander59.7% · 9,124
- White18.7% · 2,855
- Hispanic or Latino11.9% · 1,822
- Black or African American6.5% · 999
- Two or more races2.9% · 439
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 49
Timeline
Historical Census data for Son
Son 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
#3,541
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,094
+2,251 bearers (+28.7%)
Per 100,000 3.42
Rank movement Up 648 places
2020
#2,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,288
+5,194 bearers (+51.5%)
Per 100,000 5.11
Rank movement Up 1,215 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,189 | 7,843 | 2.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,541 | 10,094 | 3.42 | +2,251 bearers (+28.7%) | Up 648 places |
| 2020 | #2,326 | 15,288 | 5.11 | +5,194 bearers (+51.5%) | Up 1,215 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 Son 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 | #3,541 | #2,326 | 34.3% |
| Count | 10,094 | 15,288 | 51.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.42 | 5.11 | 49.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Son bearers went from 10,094 to 15,288 (+51.5% change). The surname moved up 1,215 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,541 to #2,326.
FAQ
Son surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Son?
Name Census estimates that about 17,531 living Americans carry the surname Son. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,551 residents.
How common is Son?
Son ranks #2,326 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,288 people with the surname Son. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,531), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Son.
Has Son become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Son went from 10,094 recorded bearers to 15,288. That is an increase of 5,194 (+51.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,541 to #2,326.
What does the Census say about the background of Son?
Among Census respondents with the surname Son, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 59.7%. The next largest groups are White (18.7%) and Hispanic (11.9%). 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 Son in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.7% (9,124 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Son appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (59.7%), White (18.7%), Hispanic (11.9%). 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 Son (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 Son mean?
A patronymic surname of Scandinavian origin meaning "son of," indicating the father's name preceded the suffix. 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 Son (5.11 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 Son?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.