Shun
A masculine Japanese name meaning obedient or submissive.
Name Census estimates that about 887 living Americans carry the first name Shun. It is a predominantly male name (96.8% of registrations). The average person named Shun today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shun births was 1980 (41 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shun. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Shun with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
887
~ 1 in 386,420 Americans
Peak year
1980
41 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2023 SSA rank
#10,655
Tracked since 1925
Census
Shun in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,998 people with the first name Shun, which placed it at #7,580 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
#7,580
National first-name rank
People counted
2.0K
1,998 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
61.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shun
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shun is Asian/Pacific Islander at 61.5%. The next largest groups are Black (30.0%) and White (4.4%). 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 Shun 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 Shun at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander61.5% · 1,228
- Black or African American30.0% · 599
- White4.4% · 87
- Two or more races2.4% · 48
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Gender
Gender distribution for Shun
Shun leans heavily male at 96.8% of total registrations, but 30 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Shun as a male name
- Ranked #13,872 in 2023
- 5 male births in 2023
- Peak: 1980 (41 births)
Shun as a female name
- Ranked #10,655 in 1976
- 5 female births in 1976
- Peak: 1969 (9 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Shun on both sides of the split. Of the 1,991 people counted with this name, 1,410 were male (70.8%) and 581 were female (29.2%).
Popularity
Shun: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shun from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 301 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shun 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 Shun during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Shuns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Illinois, Tennessee, Texas recorded the most babies named Shun, while Louisiana, California, Mississippi recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 11 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shun
The name Shun has its origins in Chinese culture, dating back to ancient times. It is a masculine given name derived from the Chinese word "shun," which means obedient, compliant, or submissive. The name carries connotations of humility, respect, and adherence to principles.
One of the earliest and most notable references to the name Shun can be found in the ancient Chinese philosophical text, the Analects of Confucius, which was written during the 5th century BCE. In this work, Shun is portrayed as a legendary sage king who ruled with great virtue and wisdom, setting an example of benevolent leadership.
Throughout Chinese history, several notable figures have borne the name Shun. One of the most famous was Shun Di (126-144 CE), an emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty. He is remembered for his efforts to restore order and stability to the empire after a period of turmoil and rebellion.
Another prominent individual with the name Shun was Shun Tsung (601-604 CE), an emperor of the Sui dynasty. His reign was short-lived, but he is credited with initiating important construction projects, such as the extensive network of canals and waterways that facilitated transportation and trade.
In the realm of literature, the name Shun is associated with Shun Qing (1629-1701), a renowned Chinese scholar and poet during the Qing dynasty. His works, which were influential in shaping the literary landscape of his time, are still studied and appreciated today.
Moving to more recent history, Shun Chi-yi (1900-1979) was a prominent Chinese painter and calligrapher who played a significant role in preserving and promoting traditional Chinese art forms during the turbulent 20th century.
While the name Shun has its roots in Chinese culture, it has also been adopted and used in other parts of the world, particularly in Asian communities influenced by Chinese culture and language. However, its origins and historical significance remain firmly rooted in the rich tapestry of Chinese history and tradition.
People
Shun + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shun as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Shun: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shun?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 887 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shun 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 386,420 US residents.
Is Shun a common name?
We classify Shun as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 939 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shun most popular?
The single biggest year for Shun was 1980, when 41 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shun is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Shun in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,998 people with the name Shun, or 0.66 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,580 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 Shun 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 Shun?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Shun on both sides of the split. Of the 1,991 people counted with this name, 1,410 were male (70.8%) and 581 were female (29.2%). 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 Shun?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Shun is Asian/Pacific Islander at 61.5%. The next largest groups are Black (30.0%) and White (4.4%). 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 Shun most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Shun in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.5% (1,228 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 Shun in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shun a male name?
Yes, 96.8% of people registered as Shun 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.
Is Shun still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shun 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 Shun 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 are named Shun?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.