2000
#2,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,806
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.38
Uncommon Last name
Bundy
A surname of Old English or Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from a place name meaning "Bunda's island."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,041 Americans carry the last name Bundy. That puts it at #3,082 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,283 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bundy 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 Bundy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,283
Census rank
#3,082
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,372 bearers of the surname Bundy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3082nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bundy, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bundy
The surname BUNDY has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "bunde," which means a husbandman or a farmer. The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex, where it was often spelled as "Bunde" or "Bundi."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BUNDY can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Bundi" in reference to a landowner in Norfolk. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as "Bundy," "Bundi," and "Bundie" in various records and documents from East Anglia. One notable figure from this time was John Bundy, a landowner and freeman in the village of Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, who was mentioned in a charter dated 1254.
By the 14th century, the spelling had largely settled on "BUNDY," and the name continued to be concentrated in the eastern counties of England. In 1327, a William BUNDY was recorded as a resident of the village of Bradfield, Norfolk.
The 16th century saw the emergence of several notable individuals bearing the BUNDY surname. One such person was Richard BUNDY (c. 1510-1585), a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Norwich. Another was John BUNDY (c. 1550-1625), a successful farmer and landowner in the village of Aylsham, Norfolk.
In the 17th century, the name BUNDY began to spread beyond its traditional heartland in East Anglia. One of the most influential figures of this period was Sir Orlando BUNDY (1623-1680), a prominent lawyer and Member of Parliament who served as the Attorney General of England and Wales under King Charles II.
As the centuries progressed, the BUNDY surname continued to be represented in various fields and professions. Notable individuals include James BUNDY (1768-1842), a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars, and Thomas BUNDY (1809-1886), an American politician and lawyer who served as a judge in Ohio.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bundy
Among Census respondents with the surname Bundy, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Bundy 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 Bundy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.7% · 9,182
- Black or African American10.7% · 1,221
- Two or more races4.3% · 493
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 330
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 64
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bundy
Bundy 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
#2,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,065
+259 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 4.09
Rank movement Down 175 places
2020
#3,082
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,372
-693 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 3.80
Rank movement Down 111 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,796 | 11,806 | 4.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,971 | 12,065 | 4.09 | +259 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 175 places |
| 2020 | #3,082 | 11,372 | 3.80 | -693 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 111 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 Bundy 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 | #2,971 | #3,082 | -3.7% |
| Count | 12,065 | 11,372 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 4.09 | 3.80 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bundy bearers went from 12,065 to 11,372 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 111 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,971 to #3,082.
FAQ
Bundy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bundy?
Name Census estimates that about 13,041 living Americans carry the surname Bundy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,283 residents.
How common is Bundy?
Bundy ranks #3,082 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,372 people with the surname Bundy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,041), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Bundy.
Has Bundy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bundy went from 12,065 recorded bearers to 11,372. That is a decrease of 693 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,971 to #3,082.
What does the Census say about the background of Bundy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bundy, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Bundy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.7% (9,182 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bundy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.7%), Black (10.7%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Bundy (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 Bundy mean?
A surname of Old English or Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from a place name meaning "Bunda's island." 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 Bundy (3.80 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 Americans have the surname Bundy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.