Bunyan
A masculine name of English origin meaning "very large or vast in size".
Name Census estimates that about 14 living Americans carry the first name Bunyan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bunyan today is around 85 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bunyan births was 1919 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bunyan. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Bunyan is about 85 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Bunyans were born before 1951.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bunyan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
14
~ 1 in 24,482,453 Americans
Peak year
1919
10 babies that year
Average age
85
years old
1962 SSA rank
#4,111
Tracked since 1913
Popularity
Bunyan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bunyan from the 1910s through to the 1960s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 48 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bunyan by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Bunyan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bunyans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Bunyan
The given name Bunyan is believed to have originated from the English surname Bunyan, which is derived from the Old English word "bunne" meaning a "small hill or raised ground." The name likely emerged in England during the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century.
One of the earliest and most notable individuals with the first name Bunyan was John Bunyan, the renowned English writer and Puritan preacher born in 1628. He is best known for his allegorical work "The Pilgrim's Progress," a classic of English literature that has been widely read and translated into numerous languages.
Another prominent figure with the name Bunyan was Bunyan Lyndall, an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina during the late 19th century. He was born in 1837 and played a significant role in the reconstruction efforts in the South following the American Civil War.
In the 20th century, Bunyan Andrew Bryant gained recognition as an American professional baseball player who played as an outfielder for the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox in the 1920s and 1930s. He was born in 1898 and had a successful career in Major League Baseball.
Bunyan Semidey was a prominent figure in the field of architecture and design. Born in 1904 in New York City, he was known for his innovative and modernist architectural designs, particularly in the residential and commercial sectors. His work left a lasting impact on the architectural landscape of the United States during the mid-20th century.
Another notable individual with the name Bunyan was Bunyan Marcus, an American blues musician and songwriter from Mississippi. Born in 1929, he was a influential figure in the Delta blues genre and is credited with helping to shape the sound and style of blues music in the latter half of the 20th century.
While the name Bunyan is not as common today as it once was, it has a rich history and has been carried by several notable individuals across various fields throughout the centuries. The name's enduring legacy is a testament to its unique origins and the contributions of those who bore it.
People
Bunyan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bunyan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bunyan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bunyan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bunyan going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 24,482,453 US residents.
Is Bunyan a common name?
We classify Bunyan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 34% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 132 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bunyan most popular?
The single biggest year for Bunyan was 1919, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bunyan is about 85 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bunyan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bunyan in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.