2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bundesen
A toponymic surname originating from Bundesen, a town in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Bundesen. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bundesen 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Bundesen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bundesen, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bundesen
The surname Bundesen is a German name originating in the region of Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, sometime between the 11th and 13th centuries. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "bund," which referred to a bundle or sheaf, and the suffix "-esen," which denoted a place of origin or residence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bundesen can be found in a document from the 14th century, which mentions a landowner named Hinrich Bundesen in the village of Bünsdorf, near the city of Rendsburg. This suggests that the name may have originated as a toponymic surname, referring to someone from the area of Bünsdorf or a similar-sounding place.
In the 16th century, the Bundesen name appears in several church records and official documents from the regions of Holstein and Mecklenburg. One notable figure from this time was Hans Bundesen, a merchant and shipowner from Lübeck, who lived between 1520 and 1588.
As the Bundesen family spread throughout northern Germany and neighboring areas, the name underwent some variations in spelling, including Bundesen, Bundesohn, and Bundeson. In the 17th century, a branch of the family settled in the Danish territories of Schleswig and Holstein, where the name took on the spelling Bundesen.
One of the most prominent individuals bearing the Bundesen surname was Johann Bundesen, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1636 to 1701. He served as a professor at the University of Kiel and was known for his works on natural philosophy and ethics.
Another notable figure was Christian Bundesen, a Danish writer and historian who lived from 1737 to 1819. He authored several works on the history and culture of Schleswig-Holstein, including a comprehensive account of the region's historical monuments and antiquities.
In the 19th century, the Bundesen name spread further across Europe and beyond. Carl Bundesen, a Danish architect born in 1808, designed several notable buildings in Copenhagen, including the Thorvaldsens Museum.
As the century progressed, several Bundesen families emigrated to the United States and other parts of the world, carrying their surname with them. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America was Johann Bundesen, a German immigrant who settled in Wisconsin in the 1850s.
Throughout its history, the Bundesen surname has remained closely tied to its northern German and Danish roots, with many families tracing their ancestry back to the regions of Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg, and the surrounding areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bundesen
Among Census respondents with the surname Bundesen, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bundesen 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 Bundesen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.7% · 96
- Two or more races7.1% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bundesen
Bundesen 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
+15 bearers (+13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,319 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-18 bearers (-13.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,344 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+13.0%) | Up 4,319 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-13.8%) | Down 17,344 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 Bundesen 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 | #130,610 | #147,954 | -13.3% |
| Count | 130 | 112 | -13.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bundesen bearers went from 130 to 112 (-13.8% change). The surname moved down 17,344 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #147,954.
FAQ
Bundesen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bundesen?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Bundesen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Bundesen?
Bundesen ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Bundesen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bundesen.
Has Bundesen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bundesen went from 130 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 18 (-13.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Bundesen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bundesen, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Bundesen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.7% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bundesen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.7%), Two or More Races (7.1%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Bundesen (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 Bundesen mean?
A toponymic surname originating from Bundesen, a town in Germany. 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 Bundesen (0.04 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 Bundesen?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.