Find out how popular the last name Bunger is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bunger.
A German locational surname referring to someone from a place called Bunge.
Bunger, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bunger surname is from the 2010 census data.
Bunger is the 16743rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Bunger surname appeared 1,708 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bunger.
We can also compare 2010 data for Bunger to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | 16743 | 16852 | -0.65% |
Count | 1,708 | 1,559 | 9.12% |
Proportion per 100k | 0.58 | 0.58 | 0.00% |
The surname Bunger is of German origin, and it is believed to have emerged in the 16th century. The name is derived from the German word "bunge," which means "a small, rounded hill or mound." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have resided near or on a small hill or raised land.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Bunger can be traced back to the 16th century in various German regions, particularly in the areas around the Rhine River. Historical records from that period, such as church registers and tax records, contain references to individuals bearing this surname.
One notable mention of the surname Bunger is found in the Kirchenbuch (church book) of Heidelberg, Germany, dated 1587, where a certain Hans Bunger is listed as a resident of the town. Additionally, the surname appears in the Bürgerbuch (citizen book) of the city of Mainz in 1621, indicating the presence of Bunger families in that area.
In the 18th century, the surname Bunger started to spread beyond the German borders as families migrated to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Johann Bunger, who was born in 1712 in the town of Bingen, Germany, and later settled in Pennsylvania, United States, in the mid-1700s.
Another notable figure was Wilhelm Bunger, a German philosopher and writer who lived from 1812 to 1879. He was born in Hanover, Germany, and is best known for his works on ethics and moral philosophy.
In the 19th century, the surname Bunger gained prominence in the field of medicine with the German physician and scientist Carl Bunger, who was born in 1812 in Berlin and made significant contributions to the study of respiratory physiology.
Lastly, one cannot overlook the American businessman and philanthropist Charles Bunger, who was born in 1868 in Chicago, Illinois. He was the founder of the Bunger Coal Company and played a pivotal role in the development of the coal industry in the United States.
Throughout its history, the surname Bunger has been associated with various professions and fields, from philosophy and medicine to business and industry. While the name may have originated from a geographical feature, it has since transcended its humble beginnings and left an indelible mark across various cultures and societies.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bunger.
The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bunger was:
Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
---|---|---|
Non-Hispanic White Only | 95.37% | 1,629 |
Non-Hispanic Black Only | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | 1.17% | 20 |
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 1.17% | 20 |
Hispanic Origin | 1.76% | 30 |
Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.
Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bunger has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
White | 95.37% | 97.24% | -1.94% |
Black | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.17% | 0.64% | 58.56% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
Two or More Races | 1.17% | 0.83% | 34.00% |
Hispanic | 1.76% | 0.71% | 85.02% |
The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.
The history and meaning of the name Bunger was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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<a href="http://namecensus.com/last-names/bunger-surname-popularity/">Bunger last name popularity, history, and meaning</a>
"Bunger last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 2, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/bunger-surname-popularity/.
"Bunger last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/bunger-surname-popularity/. Accessed 2 July, 2025
Bunger last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/bunger-surname-popularity/.
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