2000
#1,529
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,574
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.00
Uncommon Last name
Bunch
An English surname referring to someone who lived near a cluster of trees or bushes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,192 Americans carry the last name Bunch. That puts it at #1,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,168 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bunch 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bunch with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,168
Census rank
#1,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,097 bearers of the surname Bunch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bunch, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bunch
The surname Bunch is an English name that originated in the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "bune," which meant a small hill or mound. This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive term to refer to someone who lived near or on a small hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bunch can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1230, where a person named Richard Bunch is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a John le Bunche is listed.
In the 14th century, the surname Bunch appeared in various historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which included the name Thomas Bunche. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire from 1332 also mentioned a Richard Bunche.
During the 15th century, the name Bunch began to spread across different parts of England. The Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1424 listed a John Buncche, while the Inquisitiones Post Mortem of Hertfordshire from 1487 included a reference to a William Bunche.
One notable person with the surname Bunch in the 16th century was John Bunch (c. 1518-1598), an English diplomat and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Wallingford and as the Secretary of State to Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, the surname Bunch was found in various regions of England. The Hearth Tax Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1665 listed a Thomas Bunch, while the Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1672 included a Richard Bunch.
During the 18th century, several individuals with the surname Bunch achieved prominence. Reverend Samuel Bunch (c. 1715-1795) was an English clergyman and author who wrote several works on theology and mathematics. James Bunch (1736-1805) was an English engraver and artist known for his topographical and architectural drawings.
In the 19th century, one notable figure with the surname Bunch was Robert Alonzo Bunch (1820-1881), an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Minister to Brazil from 1873 to 1877.
Throughout history, the surname Bunch has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Bunch Lane in Hertfordshire and Bunch Wood in Essex, further reinforcing its geographic origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bunch
Among Census respondents with the surname Bunch, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bunch 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 Bunch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.5% · 15,930
- Black or African American14.9% · 3,145
- Two or more races4.5% · 942
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 689
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 258
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 133
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bunch
Bunch 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
#1,629
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,117
+543 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 7.50
Rank movement Down 100 places
2020
#1,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,097
-1,020 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 7.06
Rank movement Down 36 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,529 | 21,574 | 8.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,629 | 22,117 | 7.50 | +543 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 100 places |
| 2020 | #1,665 | 21,097 | 7.06 | -1,020 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 36 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 Bunch 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 | #1,629 | #1,665 | -2.2% |
| Count | 22,117 | 21,097 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 7.50 | 7.06 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bunch bearers went from 22,117 to 21,097 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 36 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,629 to #1,665.
FAQ
Bunch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bunch?
Name Census estimates that about 24,192 living Americans carry the surname Bunch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,168 residents.
How common is Bunch?
Bunch ranks #1,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,097 people with the surname Bunch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,192), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Bunch.
Has Bunch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bunch went from 22,117 recorded bearers to 21,097. That is a decrease of 1,020 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,629 to #1,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Bunch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bunch, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Bunch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.5% (15,930 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bunch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.5%), Black (14.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Bunch (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 Bunch mean?
An English surname referring to someone who lived near a cluster of trees or bushes. 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 Bunch (7.06 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 surname Bunch?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.