Explore the Family Name On

The meaning of On

1. Vietnamese (Ôn): from the Chinese surname 溫, see Wen 1. 2. Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 安, see An 1. 3. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 溫, see Wen 1. 4. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 翁, see Weng 1. 5. Chinese: possibly from Cantonese form of the Chinese name 安 (meaning ‘peace’), a monosyllabic personal name, or part of a disyllabic personal name of some early Chinese immigrants in the US. 6. Turkish (Ön): ornamental name or nickname from ön ‘front, foremost’. As a nickname it was in some cases applied to families living in the first house in a village. Some characteristic forenames: Vietnamese Hung, Lam, Muoi, Hai, Hoa, Loc, Trung, Be Van, Binh, Ha, Huu, Phoung, Tong. Chinese Meng, Dung, Hong, Kin, Kwong, Kyung-Won, Mi Ok, Wing, Yan, Yon, Young.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name On in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname 'On' has substantially increased from 2000 to 2010. The surname was ranked 22,283 in 2000 and jumped to 20,309 by 2010, an increase of 8.86%. More people had this last name in 2010, with the count rising from 1,079 to 1,309, reflecting a growth of 21.32%. The proportion of this surname per 100,000 people also saw an uptick, moving from 0.4 to 0.44, indicating a rise of 10%.

20002010Change
Rank#22,283#20,3098.86%
Count1,0791,30921.32%
Proportion per 100k0.40.4410%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name On

In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that the majority of individuals with the surname 'On' identified as Asian/Pacific Islander. This group represented 83.04% in 2000 and increased to 85.18% in 2010, up by 2.58%. People identifying as two or more races made up 3.24% in 2000 but decreased to 2.22% in 2010. White individuals accounted for 8.80% in 2000, dropping slightly to 8.10% by 2010. The Hispanic ethnicity saw growth, starting at 1.48% in 2000 and going up to 2.37% in 2010, a significant increase of 60.14%. Individuals identifying as Black made up 3.43% of the 'On' surname holders in 2000 but decreased to 2.14% in 2010. The percentage of American Indian and Alaskan Native remained steady at 0% for both years.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander83.04%85.18%2.58%
White8.8%8.1%-7.95%
Hispanic1.48%2.37%60.14%
Two or More Races3.24%2.22%-31.48%
Black3.43%2.14%-37.61%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%