2000
#1,886
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,481
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.48
Uncommon Last name
Toney
Derived from a place name meaning "from Tonei," referring to someone who lived near a field of hemp plants.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,377 Americans carry the last name Toney. That puts it at #1,981 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,821 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Toney 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 Toney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 16,821
Census rank
#1,981
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,770 bearers of the surname Toney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1981st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Toney, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.8%. The next largest groups are Black (38.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Toney
The surname Toney originated in England, with records dating back to the late 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "tun," meaning an enclosed village or settlement. This suggests that the name may have been initially used to identify someone who lived in or came from a particular town or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Toney can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from the year 1273, which mentions a person named Richard de Toney. The "de" prefix was commonly used at the time to indicate a person's place of origin or residence.
Another early record of the Toney surname appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire from 1332, which lists a John Toney. This suggests that the name had spread to different regions of England by the 14th century.
In the 15th century, the Toney surname appears in various records, including the Yorkshire Chantry Surveys of 1546, which mentions a Thomas Toney. This indicates that the name was well-established in Yorkshire during that period.
Notable individuals with the surname Toney throughout history include:
1. Sir Nathaniel Toney (1615-1676), an English merchant and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1672.
2. Elizabeth Toney (1730-1810), an American pioneer and early settler in Kentucky, known for her role in establishing the first permanent settlement in the area.
3. John Toney (1763-1845), an American farmer and soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
4. William Toney (1816-1892), an American politician who served as the 14th Governor of South Carolina from 1885 to 1887.
5. Robert Toney (1855-1932), a British artist known for his landscape paintings and portraiture.
While the Toney surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and settlement. However, the historical records and references provided here primarily focus on the origin and early occurrences of the name within England and its neighboring regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Toney
Among Census respondents with the surname Toney, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.8%. The next largest groups are Black (38.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Toney 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 Toney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.8% · 9,196
- Black or African American38.9% · 6,906
- Two or more races4.5% · 807
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 536
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 227
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 98
Timeline
Historical Census data for Toney
Toney 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
#1,919
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,787
+1,306 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 6.37
Rank movement Down 33 places
2020
#1,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,770
-1,017 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 5.95
Rank movement Down 62 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,886 | 17,481 | 6.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,919 | 18,787 | 6.37 | +1,306 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 33 places |
| 2020 | #1,981 | 17,770 | 5.95 | -1,017 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 62 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 Toney 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 | #1,919 | #1,981 | -3.2% |
| Count | 18,787 | 17,770 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 6.37 | 5.95 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Toney bearers went from 18,787 to 17,770 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 62 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,919 to #1,981.
FAQ
Toney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Toney?
Name Census estimates that about 20,377 living Americans carry the surname Toney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,821 residents.
How common is Toney?
Toney ranks #1,981 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,770 people with the surname Toney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,377), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Toney.
Has Toney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Toney went from 18,787 recorded bearers to 17,770. That is a decrease of 1,017 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,919 to #1,981.
What does the Census say about the background of Toney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Toney, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.8%. The next largest groups are Black (38.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Toney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.8% (9,196 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Toney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.8%), Black (38.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Toney (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 Toney mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "from Tonei," referring to someone who lived near a field of hemp plants. 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 Toney (5.95 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 have the last name Toney?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Toney on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.