History of your Surname
Get access to Bones family records.Start a free trial

Bones Family History

Bones Name Meaning

English: variant of Bunce Irish: translation into English of Gaelic Ó Cnáimhsighe by association with cnámh ‘bone’. Compare Bonar 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 . Norwegian (Bønes): habitational name from the farm name Bønes in the province of Hordaland composed of the elements ‘enclosure meadow’ and nes ‘promontory headland’. Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): metronymic from the Yiddish female personal name Bone of Latin origin.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Rones, Bines, Bone, Boner, Banes, Bonet, Bonis, Boles, Jones, Bobek

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Black & white image of a young woman scientist

Where is the Bones family from?

You can see how Bones families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bones family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bones families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 28 Bones families living in Nova Scotia. This was about 44% of all the recorded Bones's in Canada. Nova Scotia had the highest population of Bones families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bones surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Bones ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Farmer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Bones. 37% of Bones men worked as a Farmer and 100% of Bones women worked as a Farmer. .

View Census Data for Bones | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    37%
  • Laborer
    22%
  • Carpenter
    16%
  • Journalier
    16%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    100%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Bones family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 28,000 census records available for the last name Bones. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bones census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Bones

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Bones. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Bones immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 3,000 military records available for the last name Bones. For the veterans among your Bones ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Bones military records

You've only scratched the surface of Bones family history

Discover More

What is the average Bones lifespan?

Between 1949 and 2004, in the United States, Bones life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1960, and highest in 1985. The average life expectancy for Bones in 1949 was 42, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Bones

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Bones family tree

Explore Your Tree

Browse profiles of historical people with the Bones last name

Search for another surname
Enter last name/surname
Start a 14-Day Free Trial