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

Toner, 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 Toner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Toner in America

Toner is the 6672nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Toner surname appeared 5,065 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Toner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Toner 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 Toner

The surname Toner is of Irish origin, deriving from the Gaelic words "tóin" meaning "backside" or "bottom", and "óir" meaning "gold". It is believed to have initially been a descriptive nickname for a person with a fondness for gold or wealth, or perhaps a jocular reference to an individual's physical attributes.

The earliest recorded instance of the Toner surname dates back to the 14th century in County Tyrone, Ireland. It is found in the Annals of Ulster, a historical chronicle compiled by Seán Ó Dubhagáin and other scribes at the monastery of Belleek, which mentions a "Tomaltach Ua Tóinóir" in the year 1348.

In the 16th century, the surname Toner is documented in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of official records from the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. These records include references to individuals such as Dermot Toner, who was granted lands in County Monaghan in 1562.

The Toner surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Toneymore and Toneyreagh in County Antrim, and Tonermullin in County Tyrone. These locations likely derived their names from individuals or families bearing the Toner surname.

Notable individuals with the surname Toner include:

1. John Toner (c. 1670-1705), an Irish Catholic priest and missionary in Pennsylvania, regarded as one of the first Catholic clergymen to minister in the American colonies.
2. Joseph Meredith Toner (1825-1902), an American physician and bibliographer from Washington, D.C., known for his extensive collection of books and manuscripts related to the history of medicine and the American Civil War.
3. Robin Toner (1956-2008), an American journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the New York Times, who covered national politics and presidential campaigns.
4. Patrick Toner (1832-1906), an Irish immigrant to the United States who became a prominent businessman and philanthropist in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
5. Bridget Toner (1800-1868), an Irish immigrant to Australia who became a successful businesswoman and property owner in Sydney, despite facing discrimination as a woman and a Catholic in colonial society.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Toner

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

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 Toner 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 Toner 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 Toner was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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