2000
#24,083
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 977
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.36
Rare Last name
Ron
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Rooney, meaning a descendant of the Gaelic Rúadhán meaning "red-haired one".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,463 Americans carry the last name Ron. That puts it at #20,949 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 234,282 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ron 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.
Bearers in the US
1.5K
1 in 234,282
Census rank
#20,949
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,276 bearers of the surname Ron in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20949th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ron, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 56.3%. The next largest groups are White (31.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ron
The surname RON is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "ronn" which means a promontory or headland. This name was likely adopted by individuals residing near a prominent headland or coastal area in Scotland during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname RON can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which document those who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. This suggests that the name was already established in Scotland by the late 13th century.
The name RON is also associated with the Scottish Highlands, particularly the region of Argyll and Bute. In the early 16th century, a notable figure named John Ron was recorded as a tenant farmer in Lochgoilhead, a village situated on the shores of Loch Goil.
During the 17th century, the surname RON appeared in various historical records, including parish registers and land charters. One such example is Patrick Ron, who was born in Inveraray, Argyll, in 1635.
In the 18th century, the name RON gained further recognition with the birth of James Ron (1741-1823), a Scottish poet and song collector from Ayrshire. His works, which included the preservation of traditional Scottish ballads, played a significant role in the literary and cultural heritage of Scotland.
Another notable individual bearing the surname RON was Sir William Ron (1789-1867), a Scottish merchant and politician from Glasgow. He served as a Member of Parliament for Pembroke Burghs from 1837 to 1857 and was knighted for his contributions to public life.
In the 19th century, the surname RON continued to be prominent in Scotland, with individuals such as Alexander Ron (1812-1891), a successful businessman and philanthropist from Aberdeen, and Margaret Ron (1854-1932), a Scottish suffragette and advocate for women's rights.
Throughout its history, the surname RON has been associated with various place names and locations in Scotland, including Ronaldsay in the Orkney Islands, Ronachan in Argyll, and Ronachan Hill in the Scottish Highlands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ron
Among Census respondents with the surname Ron, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 56.3%. The next largest groups are White (31.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ron 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 Ron surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino56.3% · 718
- White31.3% · 399
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.8% · 99
- Black or African American3.2% · 41
- Two or more races1.5% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ron
Ron 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
#21,080
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,246
+269 bearers (+27.5%)
Per 100,000 0.42
Rank movement Up 3,003 places
2020
#20,949
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,276
+30 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Up 131 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,083 | 977 | 0.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,080 | 1,246 | 0.42 | +269 bearers (+27.5%) | Up 3,003 places |
| 2020 | #20,949 | 1,276 | 0.43 | +30 bearers (+2.4%) | Up 131 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 Ron 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 | #21,080 | #20,949 | 0.6% |
| Count | 1,246 | 1,276 | 2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.42 | 0.43 | 1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ron bearers went from 1,246 to 1,276 (+2.4% change). The surname moved up 131 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,080 to #20,949.
FAQ
Ron surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ron?
Name Census estimates that about 1,463 living Americans carry the surname Ron. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 234,282 residents.
How common is Ron?
Ron ranks #20,949 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,276 people with the surname Ron. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,463), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ron.
Has Ron become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ron went from 1,246 recorded bearers to 1,276. That is an increase of 30 (+2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #21,080 to #20,949.
What does the Census say about the background of Ron?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ron, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 56.3%. The next largest groups are White (31.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.8%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ron in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.3% (718 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ron appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (56.3%), White (31.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.8%). 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 Ron (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 Ron mean?
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Rooney, meaning a descendant of the Gaelic Rúadhán meaning "red-haired one". 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 Ron (0.43 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 common is the surname Ron?
You can see how many people have the last name Ron on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.