2000
#13,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,983
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Sons
A patronymic surname derived from the given name "Son" or derived from "son" in the sense of a male child.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,202 Americans carry the last name Sons. That puts it at #14,821 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 155,656 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sons 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
2.2K
1 in 155,656
Census rank
#14,821
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,920 bearers of the surname Sons in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14821st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sons, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sons
The surname "SONS" is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "sunu," which means "son." This surname would have been initially adopted by the sons of people who were known only by their given names, as a way to identify their lineage.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "SONS" can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book mentions individuals with variations of the name, such as "Sune" and "Suneson."
During the Middle Ages, the surname "SONS" was particularly prevalent in the counties of Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire. This was likely due to the influence of Danish and Norse settlers in these regions, who brought with them the similar Scandinavian word "sonr," which also meant "son."
One notable historical figure with the surname "SONS" was William Sons, a merchant and alderman who lived in London during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was involved in the establishment of the Virginia Company, which played a crucial role in the colonization of North America.
Another prominent individual was Sir John Sons, a English judge and politician who served as Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1655 to 1660 during the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell.
In the 18th century, Thomas Sons (1727-1781) was a renowned English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Foundling Hospital and the Royal Pavilion at Brighton.
Moving into the 19th century, Robert Sons (1812-1892) was a Scottish photographer and pioneer in the field of photographic processes. He is credited with developing the calotype process, which was one of the earliest forms of photography using paper negatives.
Lastly, in the 20th century, Sir Arthur Sons (1903-1988) was a British diplomat and civil servant who served as the Governor of Singapore from 1955 to 1959, during a pivotal period in the country's transition to independence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sons
Among Census respondents with the surname Sons, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Sons 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 Sons surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 1,726
- Two or more races3.9% · 75
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 73
- Black or African American0.9% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sons
Sons 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
#14,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,110
+127 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 253 places
2020
#14,821
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,920
-190 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 601 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,967 | 1,983 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,220 | 2,110 | 0.72 | +127 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 253 places |
| 2020 | #14,821 | 1,920 | 0.64 | -190 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 601 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 Sons 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 | #14,220 | #14,821 | -4.2% |
| Count | 2,110 | 1,920 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.64 | -10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sons bearers went from 2,110 to 1,920 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 601 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,220 to #14,821.
FAQ
Sons surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sons?
Name Census estimates that about 2,202 living Americans carry the surname Sons. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 155,656 residents.
How common is Sons?
Sons ranks #14,821 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,920 people with the surname Sons. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,202), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sons.
Has Sons become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sons went from 2,110 recorded bearers to 1,920. That is a decrease of 190 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,220 to #14,821.
What does the Census say about the background of Sons?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sons, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sons in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (1,726 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sons appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Sons (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 Sons mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name "Son" or derived from "son" in the sense of a male child. 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 Sons (0.64 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 Sons?
If you just want to know how many people are called Sons, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.