Explore the Family Name Bones
The meaning of Bones
1. English: variant of Bunce 1. 2. Irish: translation into English of Gaelic Ó Cnáimhsighe, by association with cnámh ‘bone’. Compare Bonar 2. 3. Norwegian: habitational name from the farm name Bones in the province of Trøndelag. The first element is derived from the river name Bua, from Old Norse búa ‘live’, perhaps meaning ‘river that runs through a settled valley’. The second element is nes ‘promontory, headland’. Compare Boness and Bonnes. 4. Norwegian (Bønes): habitational name from the farm name Bønes in the province of Hordaland, composed of the elements bø ‘enclosure, meadow’ and nes ‘promontory, headland’. 5. Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): metronymic from the Yiddish female personal name Bone, of Latin origin.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Bones in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname "Bones" has seen a rise in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 14,353rd but by 2010, it had moved up to 13,771st place, an increase of roughly 4.05%. The count of people with this surname also rose from 1,913 in 2000 to 2,197 in 2010, showing an increase of nearly 15%. As a proportion per 100,000 people, the occurrence of the surname also increased by about 4.23% over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #14,353 | #13,771 | 4.05% |
| Count | 1,913 | 2,197 | 14.85% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.71 | 0.74 | 4.23% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bones
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the distribution among those with the Bones surname shifted between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of individuals identifying as White decreased from 52.48% to 47.61%, while Hispanic identification increased from 21.01% to 25.58%. Representation of Black individuals also saw a slight increase from 20.44% to 21.21%. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native both decreased, with the former dropping from 2.46% to 2.18% and the latter from 2.09% to 1.82%. Individuals identifying with two or more races saw a small increase from 1.52% to 1.59%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 52.48% | 47.61% | -9.28% |
| Hispanic | 21.01% | 25.58% | 21.75% |
| Black | 20.44% | 21.21% | 3.77% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 2.46% | 2.18% | -11.38% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 2.09% | 1.82% | -12.92% |
| Two or More Races | 1.52% | 1.59% | 4.61% |