Show ContentsBono History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Bono was created from the personal name Bona, which is derived from the Latin name Bonus, which means "good." The popularity of the personal name Bonus, was in part due to the name being borne by a 3rd-century Christian saint, martyred at Rome.

Early Origins of the Bono family

The surname Bono was first found in the city of Milan, where earliest records are of the Bonacina family in 1220.

Early History of the Bono family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bono research. The years 1350, 1463, 1495, 1512, 1529, 1565, 1654, 1669, 1688, 1698, 1710, 1736, 1738, 1739, 1762, 1766, 1774, 1781, 1788 and 1859 are included under the topic Early Bono History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bono Spelling Variations

Enormous variation in spelling and form characterizes those Italian names that originated in the medieval era. This is caused by two main factors: regional tradition, and inaccuracies in the recording process. Before the last few hundred years, scribes spelled names according to their sounds. Spelling variations were the unsurprising result. The variations of Bono include Boni, Bono, Bona, Bon, Buono, De Boni, De Bonis, De Bono, De Buono, Del Bono, Della Bona, Del Buono, Di Bono, Lo Bono, Lobono, Lo Buono, Bonelli, Bonello, Boniello, Bonetti, Bonetto, Bonet, Bonini, Bonino, Bonin, Bonucci, Bonuccelli, Bonioli, Boniolo, Bonotti, Boniotti, Boniotto, Bononi, Bonon, Bonacci, Bonaccio, Bonaccini, Bonazzi, Bonazza, Bonassi, Bonassini, Bonassin, Bonassili, Bonaca, Bonaga, Bonaghi, Bonaldi, Bonaldo, Bonaudo, Bonani, Bonandi, Bonardi, Bonati, Bonato, Bonatti, Boneri, Boneschi, Bonacina, Bonico, Bonici, Bonichi, Bonicelli, Bonicco, Bonito, Bonutti and many more.

Early Notables of the Bono family

Prominent among bearers of this family in early times was

  • Bartolomeo Bono (c.1463-1529), a Lombard architect who worked in Venice and designed parts of the Piazza di San Marco

Bono Ranking

In the United States, the name Bono is the 7,356th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Bono is ranked the 5,876th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2


United States Bono migration to the United States +

The records on immigrants and ships' passengers show a number of people bearing the name Bono:

Bono Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Antonio Bono, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1816 3
  • Joaquin Bono, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1860 3
  • Maria Bono, age 33, who arrived in America on Aug. 19, 1881, aboard the "Amerique"

Contemporary Notables of the name Bono (post 1700) +

  • Sonny Bono (1935-1998), American record producer, singer, actor, and politician
  • Steven Christopher Bono (b. 1962), former American football quarterback in the NFL
  • Chastity Bono (b. 1969), American LGBT rights advocate, writer, actress and musician, daughter of Sonny Bono and Cher
  • Matteo Bono (b. 1983), Italian road bicycle racer
  • Edward Charles Francis Publius de Bono (1933-2021), Maltese physician, psychologist, author, inventor, philosopher, and consultant


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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