2000
#19,629
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,271
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.47
Rare Last name
Tone
An occupational surname referring to someone who collected taxes or tolls.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,335 Americans carry the last name Tone. That puts it at #22,619 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 256,745 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tone 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 Tone with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.3K
1 in 256,745
Census rank
#22,619
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,164 bearers of the surname Tone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 22619th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tone, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.8%) and Hispanic (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tone
The surname Tone has its origins in England, where it first appeared in the late 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "tun," which referred to a fenced enclosure or settlement. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived in or near a particular town or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tone can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, which mention a man named Robertus de la Tune. The Pipe Rolls were financial records kept by the English Exchequer, and the inclusion of this name indicates that the Tone surname was already established by this time.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Toun, Toune, and Tune, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling that were common during that period. One notable bearer of the name was John de la Tone, who was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273.
The Hundred Rolls were a survey of landholdings and property rights in England, and the inclusion of John de la Tone suggests that he was a person of some importance or means.
By the 14th century, the surname Tone had spread across various parts of England, with records showing individuals bearing the name in counties such as Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. One notable example from this period is William Tone, who was born around 1320 in Wiltshire and served as a member of the English Parliament.
In the 15th century, the Tone surname continued to be found in historical records, with mentions of individuals such as John Tone, who was born in Somerset around 1435, and Thomas Tone, who was born in Gloucestershire around 1450.
As the centuries progressed, the Tone surname became more widespread, and several prominent individuals bore this name. One notable example is Theobald Wolfe Tone, an Irish revolutionary and leader of the United Irishmen movement, who was born in 1763 and played a significant role in the Irish Rebellion of 1798.
Another important figure was Samuel Tone, an English clergyman and academic who was born in 1677 and served as the Provost of Trinity College, Dublin, from 1726 until his death in 1737.
Overall, the surname Tone has a rich history that can be traced back to its origins in medieval England, where it likely referred to individuals who lived in or near a particular town or settlement. Over the centuries, the name has been associated with various notable figures and has spread across different regions, reflecting the diverse histories and migrations of those who bear this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tone
Among Census respondents with the surname Tone, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.8%) and Hispanic (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Tone 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 Tone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.4% · 878
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.8% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 60
- Black or African American5.1% · 59
- Two or more races4.5% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tone
Tone 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
#20,434
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,300
+29 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Down 805 places
2020
#22,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,164
-136 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.39
Rank movement Down 2,185 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,629 | 1,271 | 0.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,434 | 1,300 | 0.44 | +29 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 805 places |
| 2020 | #22,619 | 1,164 | 0.39 | -136 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 2,185 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 Tone 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 | #20,434 | #22,619 | -10.7% |
| Count | 1,300 | 1,164 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.44 | 0.39 | -11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tone bearers went from 1,300 to 1,164 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 2,185 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,434 to #22,619.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Tone
FAQ
Tone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tone?
Name Census estimates that about 1,335 living Americans carry the surname Tone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 256,745 residents.
How common is Tone?
Tone ranks #22,619 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.39 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 1,164 people with the surname Tone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,335), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.39 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 Tone.
Has Tone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tone went from 1,300 recorded bearers to 1,164. That is a decrease of 136 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #20,434 to #22,619.
What does the Census say about the background of Tone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tone, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.8%) and Hispanic (5.2%). 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 Tone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.4% (878 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (8.8%), Hispanic (5.2%). 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 Tone (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 Tone mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who collected taxes or tolls. 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 Tone (0.39 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 Tone?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.