2000
#18,165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,413
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.52
Rare Last name
Sones
A surname derived from the Middle English word "sone", meaning "son".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,553 Americans carry the last name Sones. That puts it at #9,948 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,469 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sones 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 Sones with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 96,469
Census rank
#9,948
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,098 bearers of the surname Sones in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9948th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sones, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.2%. The next largest groups are Black (24.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sones
The surname Sones is of English origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old English word "sunu," which means "son." This suggests that the name was initially a patronymic name, given to someone who was the son of a person with a specific name or occupation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Sones surname can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which were census-like records from the reign of King Edward I. The name is listed as "Sone" in these rolls, indicating an early spelling variation of the modern Sones.
In the 14th century, the surname appears in various historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, where it is spelled as "Sones." This spelling variation suggests that the name had evolved from its earlier form and was becoming more established.
The Sones surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was John Sones, a merchant who lived in London during the 15th century. He is mentioned in the records of the City of London Corporation in 1487.
Another prominent figure with the Sones surname was Sir John Sones, who was knighted by King Henry VIII in the 16th century. He served as a member of the Privy Council and played a significant role in the English Reformation.
In the 17th century, a notable bearer of the Sones name was Thomas Sones, a prolific writer and scholar who was born in 1608. He authored several works on theology and philosophy and was highly respected in his time.
During the 18th century, the Sones surname was found in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Kent, Surrey, and Hertfordshire. One notable individual from this period was Richard Sones, a prominent landowner and businessman who lived in Kent between 1712 and 1785.
In the 19th century, the Sones surname gained further recognition with the birth of Sir Jonathan Sones (1828-1908), a renowned engineer and industrialist. He made significant contributions to the development of steam engines and was knighted for his achievements in 1892.
The Sones surname has been associated with various place names throughout its history, such as Sones End, a hamlet in the parish of Sandhurst in Kent. Additionally, the name has been spelled in various ways over the centuries, including Sone, Soones, and Soan, reflecting the linguistic evolution of the English language.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sones
Among Census respondents with the surname Sones, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.2%. The next largest groups are Black (24.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Sones 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 Sones surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.2% · 2,083
- Black or African American24.9% · 771
- Two or more races4.2% · 131
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 70
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sones
Sones 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
#20,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,319
-94 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.45
Rank movement Down 2,036 places
2020
#9,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,098
+1,779 bearers (+134.9%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Up 10,253 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,165 | 1,413 | 0.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,201 | 1,319 | 0.45 | -94 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 2,036 places |
| 2020 | #9,948 | 3,098 | 1.04 | +1,779 bearers (+134.9%) | Up 10,253 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 Sones 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 | #20,201 | #9,948 | 50.8% |
| Count | 1,319 | 3,098 | 134.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.45 | 1.04 | 130.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sones bearers went from 1,319 to 3,098 (+134.9% change). The surname moved up 10,253 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,201 to #9,948.
FAQ
Sones surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sones?
Name Census estimates that about 3,553 living Americans carry the surname Sones. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,469 residents.
How common is Sones?
Sones ranks #9,948 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 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 3,098 people with the surname Sones. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,553), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 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 Sones.
Has Sones become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sones went from 1,319 recorded bearers to 3,098. That is an increase of 1,779 (+134.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #20,201 to #9,948.
What does the Census say about the background of Sones?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sones, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.2%. The next largest groups are Black (24.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Sones in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.2% (2,083 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sones appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.2%), Black (24.9%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Sones (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 Sones mean?
A surname derived from the Middle English word "sone", meaning "son". 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 Sones (1.04 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 Sones?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.