2000
#16,062
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,657
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.61
Rare Last name
Aune
A surname of Norwegian origin meaning "river meadow."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,064 Americans carry the last name Aune. That puts it at #15,624 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,063 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aune surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 166,063
Census rank
#15,624
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,800 bearers of the surname Aune in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15624th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aune, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aune
The surname Aune is of Norwegian origin, originating from the Old Norse word "aunr" which means "broad" or "wide". It is believed to have been derived from a geographical location or a descriptive nickname referring to a person's physical appearance or characteristics.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Aune can be traced back to the 16th century in Norway. In the parish records of Aust-Agder, Norway, there are mentions of individuals with the surname Aune dating back to the late 1500s and early 1600s.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Aune was Hans Aune, a Norwegian farmer who lived in the village of Birkenes, Aust-Agder, in the early 17th century. Records show that he was born around 1610 and owned a substantial amount of land in the area.
In the 18th century, the surname Aune was also found in the Telemark region of Norway. Peder Aune, born in 1736 in Nissedal, Telemark, was a prominent figure in the local community and served as a member of the parish council.
As people migrated from Norway to other parts of the world, the surname Aune spread to other countries. One notable bearer of the name was Nils Aune, a Norwegian-American artist born in 1853 in Stoughton, Wisconsin, United States. He is known for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from the Midwest.
Another notable figure with the surname Aune was Kristian Aune, a Norwegian explorer and whaler who lived from 1877 to 1964. He participated in several Antarctic expeditions in the early 20th century and made significant contributions to the exploration of the Antarctic region.
While the surname Aune is relatively uncommon outside of Norway and Scandinavian communities, it has been carried by individuals throughout history who have left their mark in various fields, from agriculture and local governance to art and exploration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aune
Among Census respondents with the surname Aune, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Aune bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Aune surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 1,666
- Two or more races3.2% · 57
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 14
- Black or African American0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aune
Aune appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#16,582
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,730
+73 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 520 places
2020
#15,624
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,800
+70 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 958 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,062 | 1,657 | 0.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,582 | 1,730 | 0.59 | +73 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 520 places |
| 2020 | #15,624 | 1,800 | 0.60 | +70 bearers (+4.0%) | Up 958 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Aune surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #16,582 | #15,624 | 5.8% |
| Count | 1,730 | 1,800 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.59 | 0.60 | 2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aune bearers went from 1,730 to 1,800 (+4.0% change). The surname moved up 958 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,582 to #15,624.
FAQ
Aune surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aune?
Name Census estimates that about 2,064 living Americans carry the surname Aune. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,063 residents.
How common is Aune?
Aune ranks #15,624 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,800 people with the surname Aune. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,064), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Aune.
Has Aune become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aune went from 1,730 recorded bearers to 1,800. That is an increase of 70 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,582 to #15,624.
What does the Census say about the background of Aune?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aune, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Aune in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (1,666 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aune appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Aune (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Aune mean?
A surname of Norwegian origin meaning "river meadow." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Aune (0.60 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Aune?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Aune, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.