2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Bungum
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name or occupational term.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Bungum. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bungum 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Bungum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bungum, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bungum
The surname BUNGUM is believed to have originated in the Scandinavian region, specifically in Norway, during the medieval period. The name is derived from the Old Norse word "bungr," which means a bundle or a bundle of hay, and the suffix "-um," indicating a place or location. This suggests that the name was likely associated with a specific area or settlement where bundles of hay were commonly found or produced.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BUNGUM can be found in the Norwegian census records from the late 13th century, where it appears as "Bungumr." This early spelling variation highlights the name's Norse roots and its evolution over time.
In the 14th century, a man named Olav Bungum was mentioned in the Islandske Annaler, a collection of Icelandic annals, as a prominent landowner in the region of Trøndelag, Norway. This historical reference indicates that the BUNGUM name was associated with landholding and agricultural activities during that period.
The name BUNGUM can also be traced back to the village of Bungumrud, located in the municipality of Rakkestad, Norway. This place name, which means "the clearing of BUNGUM," further reinforces the name's connection to specific geographic locations and settlements in the region.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the BUNGUM surname, including:
1. Nils Bungum (1615-1690), a Norwegian Lutheran minister and scholar who served as the Bishop of Bergen from 1677 until his death.
2. Jens Bungum (1789-1856), a Norwegian farmer and politician who represented the Nordre Bergenhus constituency at the Norwegian Constituent Assembly in 1814.
3. Inger Marie Bungum (1820-1892), a Norwegian educator and one of the first female teachers in Norway. She established several schools for girls in the mid-19th century.
4. Aasmund Bungum (1854-1923), a Norwegian painter known for his landscapes and seascapes depicting the rugged Norwegian coastline.
5. Knut Bungum (1901-1987), a Norwegian engineer and inventor who patented several innovations in the field of hydroelectric power generation.
The BUNGUM surname has a rich history rooted in the Scandinavian region, with ties to agricultural settlements, landholding, and various notable figures who contributed to various fields such as religion, politics, education, art, and engineering over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bungum
Among Census respondents with the surname Bungum, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bungum 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 Bungum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino9.3% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bungum
Bungum appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+7 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,336 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+7.0%) | Up 9,336 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 Bungum 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 | #160,975 | #151,639 | 5.8% |
| Count | 100 | 107 | 7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bungum bearers went from 100 to 107 (+7.0% change). The surname moved up 9,336 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #151,639.
FAQ
Bungum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bungum?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Bungum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Bungum?
Bungum ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Bungum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Bungum.
Has Bungum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bungum went from 100 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 7 (+7.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Bungum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bungum, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Bungum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bungum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (9.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Bungum (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 Bungum mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name or occupational term. 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 Bungum (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 Bungum?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.