2000
#118,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Thoni
Of Arabic/Assyrian origin, indicating a person from the town of Thoni or Thawun.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Thoni. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thoni 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.
Bearers in the US
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Thoni in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thoni, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thoni
The surname Thoni originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, likely in the late medieval period or early modern era. It is believed to be derived from the Germanic root word "thun," which means "to do" or "to make." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person's occupation or trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Thoni surname can be found in the town records of Freiburg im Breisgau, a city located in the southwest of present-day Germany, dating back to the 15th century. The name appears to have been particularly prevalent in the Black Forest region of Baden-Württemberg and neighboring areas of Switzerland.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Thoni surname was Hans Thoni, a renowned clockmaker from the town of Schaffhausen in northern Switzerland. His intricate and innovative timepieces were highly sought after throughout Europe during the Renaissance period.
Another historical figure of note was Johann Thoni, a German Protestant theologian and reformer born in 1569 in the city of Augsburg. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation movement and authored several influential religious texts during his lifetime.
Moving forward to the 18th century, there was a prominent family of Thoni artists hailing from the town of Lindau, located on the eastern shores of Lake Constance in southern Germany. Among them was Johann Baptist Thoni, a skilled sculptor and woodcarver who created numerous religious works and ornate altarpieces for churches throughout the region.
In the 19th century, one of the most notable individuals with the Thoni surname was Alois Thoni, an Austrian composer and conductor born in 1828 in the city of Graz. He composed several operas and orchestral works that were widely performed during his lifetime and contributed significantly to the cultural landscape of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
While the origins of the Thoni surname can be traced back to the German-speaking regions of Europe, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. However, its roots remain firmly grounded in the historical records and cultural heritage of this particular region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thoni
Among Census respondents with the surname Thoni, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Thoni 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 Thoni surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.5% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thoni
Thoni 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
#119,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145
+10 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 554 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-29 bearers (-20.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 25,520 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,954 | 135 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #119,508 | 145 | 0.05 | +10 bearers (+7.4%) | Down 554 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -29 bearers (-20.0%) | Down 25,520 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 Thoni 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 | #119,508 | #145,028 | -21.4% |
| Count | 145 | 116 | -20.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thoni bearers went from 145 to 116 (-20.0% change). The surname moved down 25,520 positions in the national ranking, going from #119,508 to #145,028.
FAQ
Thoni surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thoni?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Thoni. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Thoni?
Thoni ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Thoni. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Thoni.
Has Thoni become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thoni went from 145 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 29 (-20.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #119,508 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Thoni?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thoni, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%). 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 Thoni in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thoni appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.5%), Hispanic (6.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%). 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 Thoni (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 Thoni mean?
Of Arabic/Assyrian origin, indicating a person from the town of Thoni or Thawun. 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 Thoni (0.04 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 people share the surname Thoni?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.