Lun
A masculine name of Chinese origin signifying success, prosperity.
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the first name Lun. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lun today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lun births was 2022 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lun. 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.
People living today
136
~ 1 in 2,520,252 Americans
Peak year
2022
18 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,718
Tracked since 2012
Census
Lun in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 735 people with the first name Lun, which placed it at #15,605 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#15,605
National first-name rank
People counted
735
735 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
91.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lun
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lun is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Black (2.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Lun 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Lun at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander91.3% · 671
- White3.7% · 27
- Black or African American2.9% · 21
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 11
- Two or more races0.5% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Popularity
Lun: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lun from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 75 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lun 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 Lun during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Luns live
Origin
Meaning and history of Lun
The given name Lun has its origins in the Chinese language, with roots dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Chinese character "轮" (lún), which means "wheel" or "cycle." This character is often associated with the concept of cyclical movements and the idea of continuous renewal and change.
In Chinese culture, the name Lun is believed to symbolize harmony, balance, and the natural flow of life. It is often given to children with the hope that they will embrace the cyclical nature of existence and adapt to the ever-changing circumstances with grace and resilience.
One of the earliest known references to the name Lun can be found in the ancient Chinese philosophical text, the "Analects of Confucius." In this work, Confucius mentions a disciple named Lun Yu, who is known for his wisdom and dedication to the teachings of the great philosopher.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Lun. One such individual was Lun Bilian (601-671 CE), a renowned Buddhist monk and scholar during the Tang Dynasty. He is credited with translating numerous Sanskrit texts into Chinese, contributing significantly to the spread of Buddhism in East Asia.
Another prominent figure was Lun Xingyu (1835-1898), a Chinese military leader and statesman during the late Qing Dynasty. He played a crucial role in suppressing the Taiping Rebellion and is remembered for his strategic military prowess and dedication to the imperial cause.
In the realm of literature, Lun Xiuqing (1536-1618) was a celebrated poet and scholar during the Ming Dynasty. His works, which often explored themes of nature, philosophy, and the human condition, have been widely studied and admired for their lyrical beauty and profound insights.
Moving forward in time, Lun Gu (1901-1986) was a prominent Chinese scientist and engineer who made significant contributions to the field of aerodynamics. His research on supersonic flight and aircraft design earned him international recognition and numerous accolades.
It is worth noting that while the name Lun has its roots in Chinese culture, it has also been adopted and used in various other contexts and cultures around the world, often with slight variations in spelling or pronunciation.
People
Lun + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lun as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lun: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lun?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 136 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lun 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 2,520,252 US residents.
Is Lun a common name?
We classify Lun as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 137 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lun most popular?
The single biggest year for Lun was 2022, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lun is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Lun in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 735 people with the name Lun, or 0.24 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #15,605 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Lun in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Lun?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Lun on both sides of the split. Of the 739 people counted with this name, 344 were male (46.5%) and 395 were female (53.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Lun?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lun is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Black (2.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Lun most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Lun in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (671 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Lun in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lun a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lun in the SSA data are female. 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.
Is Lun still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lun in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Lun can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people share the name Lun?
Find out how many people share the name Lun on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.