2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Buniak
A surname of Ukrainian origin, possibly derived from the word "bunchuk" meaning a horse tail standard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Buniak. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buniak 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Buniak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buniak, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buniak
The surname "BUNIAK" is of Ukrainian origin, tracing its roots back to the 15th century. It is believed to have originated in the western regions of Ukraine, particularly in the areas around Lviv and Ternopil. The name is derived from the Ukrainian word "buniak," which means "beet" or "beet farmer."
In the early days, the name was associated with individuals who cultivated beets or worked in the beet farming industry. The earliest recorded mention of the name can be found in a land registry document from 1487, where a certain Petro Buniak was listed as a landowner in the village of Zolochiv, near Lviv.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name "BUNIAK" appeared in various historical records and documents, indicating the presence of families bearing this surname in different parts of western Ukraine. One notable example is a legal document from 1612, which mentions a dispute over land ownership between two Buniak families in the town of Brody.
The name has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. In the late 18th century, a Ukrainian Cossack leader named Hryhoriy Buniak played a significant role in the resistance against Polish and Russian forces during the Koliivshchyna uprising.
Another prominent figure with the surname "BUNIAK" was Yuriy Buniak, a Ukrainian journalist and political activist who lived in the early 20th century. He was a vocal advocate for Ukrainian independence and contributed significantly to the development of the Ukrainian press and literature.
In the realm of arts and culture, Mykhailo Buniak, a Ukrainian painter born in 1885, gained recognition for his impressionistic landscapes and depictions of rural life in western Ukraine.
Additionally, the surname "BUNIAK" can be found in historical records from other Slavic countries, such as Poland and Belarus, where it may have been adopted by individuals of Ukrainian descent or adapted to local spellings and pronunciations.
It is worth noting that the name "BUNIAK" has also undergone various spelling variations over time, including "Bunyak," "Buniak," and "Buniach," reflecting regional dialects and linguistic influences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buniak
Among Census respondents with the surname Buniak, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Buniak 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 Buniak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 5
- Two or more races4.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buniak
Buniak 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+3 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,716 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+10 bearers (+9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,549 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 6,716 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.6%) | Up 9,549 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 Buniak 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 | #156,044 | #146,495 | 6.1% |
| Count | 104 | 114 | 9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buniak bearers went from 104 to 114 (+9.6% change). The surname moved up 9,549 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #146,495.
FAQ
Buniak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buniak?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Buniak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Buniak?
Buniak ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Buniak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Buniak.
Has Buniak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buniak went from 104 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 10 (+9.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Buniak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buniak, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Buniak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buniak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Buniak (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 Buniak mean?
A surname of Ukrainian origin, possibly derived from the word "bunchuk" meaning a horse tail standard. 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 Buniak (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 share the surname Buniak?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.