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

Tony, 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 Tony surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tony in America

Tony is the 22158th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tony surname appeared 1,166 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 Tony.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tony 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 Tony

The surname Tony has its origins in Italy and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Italian personal name Antonio, which itself is a variant of the Roman family name Antonius. The name Antonius is believed to have originated from the ancient Roman praenomen Antō, meaning "priceless" or "invaluable."

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Tony can be found in medieval Italian documents and records. One notable example is a mention of a Guglielmo Tony in a Florentine registry from the 13th century. The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Tuscany and Lazio, where variations such as Toni and Tonni were also common.

In the 14th century, the surname Tony is documented in the historic Florentine tax records known as the Estimo. This suggests that families bearing this name had established themselves as landowners and citizens of considerable means within the city-state of Florence.

As the Italian Renaissance unfolded, the surname Tony gained prominence through various notable individuals. One such figure was Giovanni Battista Tony (1493-1554), a celebrated painter and architect from the city of Siena. His works can be found adorning churches and palaces throughout Tuscany.

Another important figure was the scholar and philosopher Pietro Antonio Tony (1642-1708), who was born in Naples and authored several influential treatises on natural philosophy and metaphysics. He was a member of the Accademia degli Investiganti, a prestigious learned society of the time.

During the 18th century, the surname Tony spread beyond Italy as Italian immigrants and merchants settled in other parts of Europe and the Americas. Notable bearers of the name during this period include the French composer and violinist Giuseppe Antonio Tony (1725-1799), who served as the music director at the court of King Louis XVI.

As the centuries progressed, the surname Tony continued to be carried by individuals of Italian descent who made significant contributions in various fields. These include the 19th-century Italian mathematician and physicist Giovanni Antonio Tony (1805-1874), who made important discoveries in the realm of electromagnetism, and the 20th-century Italian-American architect and designer Mario Tony (1909-1999), known for his influential modernist designs.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tony

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

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

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

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