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

Tones, 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 Tones surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tones in America

Tones is the 44109th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tones surname appeared 488 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Tones.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tones 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 Tones

The surname Tones has its origins in the British Isles, specifically England, and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "tun," which referred to an enclosed settlement or farmstead. This suggests that the name may have originally identified someone who lived in a particular village or township.

In medieval times, the spelling of surnames was often inconsistent, and various forms of the name, such as Tone, Toun, and Toune, can be found in historical records. One of the earliest known references to the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire, a census-like document compiled in 1273, which mentions a person named William Tone.

The name Tones can also be linked to certain place names in England, particularly those containing the word "town" or "tun," such as Townsend or Tunstall. It is possible that some individuals with this surname may have originally hailed from these locations.

Notable individuals with the surname Tones include Sir John Tones, a 15th-century English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Derbyshire in 1449. Another prominent figure was William Tones, a 16th-century English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Essex from 1537 to 1541.

In the 17th century, a man named Thomas Tones (1644-1695) gained recognition as a prominent English engraver and print publisher, known for his intricate works depicting landscapes and architectural subjects.

Moving into the 18th century, a Samuel Tones (1718-1792) was a respected mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of navigation and published several influential works on the subject.

In the 19th century, a notable figure with the surname Tones was Edward Tones (1828-1903), a British artist and illustrator renowned for his vivid depictions of rural life and landscapes, many of which were featured in popular magazines of the time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tones

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

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

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

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