Explore the Family Name Sones
The meaning of Sones
English (Suffolk): 1. perhaps an altered form of Soames; see Somes. 2. variant of Soane, with post-medieval excrescent -s (see Son). The -o- in Middle English and early modern English son(e) is a conventional spelling of /u/ before an n. This /u/ became /ʌ/ in Standard English, hence the current pronunciation of Son. If /u/ was lengthened it became /o:/ in Middle English, and then /u:/ in modern English, hence the occasional spelling Soon. In some speakers’ dialects, however, it seems that Middle English /u/ may have been lowered to /ɔ/ and lengthened to /ɔ:/, becoming modern English /əu/ represented in the spelling Soane. At any rate, Soon and Soane (also Sone) appear together in the same counties and are presumably alternative pronunciations of the same name.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Sones in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Sones experienced a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 18,165th most popular surname in the United States, but by 2010, it had dropped to the 20,201st position, marking an 11.21% decline. The count of individuals with this surname also decreased from 1,413 in 2000 to 1,319 in 2010, a reduction of 6.65%. The proportion of individuals bearing the Sones surname per 100,000 people fell by 13.46%, from 0.52 to 0.45.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #18,165 | #20,201 | -11.21% |
| Count | 1,413 | 1,319 | -6.65% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.52 | 0.45 | -13.46% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Sones
In regards to ethnicity, data from the Decennial U.S. Census illustrates a shifting ethnic identity among those with the surname Sones. Between 2000 and 2010, there were decreases among Asian/Pacific Islanders and Blacks by 40.62% and 11.12% respectively, and Hispanics saw a smaller decline of 12.82%. However, there was a significant increase of 96.47% in people identifying with two or more races, while the proportions of Whites and American Indian and Alaskan Natives increased slightly, at 0.82% and 6.00% respectively.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 86.48% | 87.19% | 0.82% |
| Black | 9.98% | 8.87% | -11.12% |
| Two or More Races | 0.85% | 1.67% | 96.47% |
| Hispanic | 1.56% | 1.36% | -12.82% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.5% | 0.53% | 6% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.64% | 0.38% | -40.62% |