2000
#3,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,800
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.00
Uncommon Last name
Bunn
A nickname derived from Old French meaning "good" or "well," likely referring to a cheerful person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,856 Americans carry the last name Bunn. That puts it at #3,383 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 28,910 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bunn 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 Bunn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 28,910
Census rank
#3,383
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,339 bearers of the surname Bunn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3383rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bunn, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bunn
The surname BUNN is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "bun" which means "to prepare" or "to make ready". This name is believed to have originated as an occupational surname given to bakers or those involved in the preparation of bread and other baked goods.
The earliest recorded examples of the BUNN surname date back to the late 13th century, with records showing William le Bunne and Reginald le Bunne living in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, respectively, in the years 1273 and 1279. The use of the prefix "le" was a common practice at the time, indicating the surname's occupational origin.
In the Domesday Book, a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, there are references to several places with names derived from the Old English word "bun", such as Bunwell in Norfolk and Bunbury in Cheshire. These place names may have influenced the development of the BUNN surname in those regions.
One of the earliest known bearers of the BUNN surname was Sir William Bunn, a prominent merchant and alderman in the City of London, who lived from 1349 to 1412. He served as the Mayor of London in 1391 and was knighted by King Richard II for his service to the city.
Another notable figure was Robert Bunn, a English playwright and novelist who lived from 1786 to 1853. He is best known for his work "The Maid of Dishonour" and his contributions to the literary periodicals of his time.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the BUNN surname is that of John Bunn, who was born in England in 1632 and later immigrated to Virginia in the late 17th century. His descendants went on to settle in various parts of the country, including North Carolina and Tennessee.
The BUNN surname has also been associated with several notable figures in the field of science and technology. One example is Alfred Bunn, an English engineer and inventor who lived from 1799 to 1860. He is credited with developing the first successful commercial ice-making machine, which revolutionized the preservation of food and transportation of perishable goods.
Another notable bearer of the BUNN surname was Sir Benjamin Bunn, a British chemist and industrialist who lived from 1850 to 1933. He made significant contributions to the development of the chemical industry and was knighted for his services in 1920.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bunn
Among Census respondents with the surname Bunn, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Bunn 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 Bunn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.2% · 8,087
- Black or African American13.0% · 1,344
- Two or more races4.3% · 441
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 291
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 125
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 51
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bunn
Bunn 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
#3,230
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,180
+380 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 3.79
Rank movement Down 152 places
2020
#3,383
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,339
-841 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 3.46
Rank movement Down 153 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,078 | 10,800 | 4.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,230 | 11,180 | 3.79 | +380 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 152 places |
| 2020 | #3,383 | 10,339 | 3.46 | -841 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 153 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 Bunn 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 | #3,230 | #3,383 | -4.7% |
| Count | 11,180 | 10,339 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.79 | 3.46 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bunn bearers went from 11,180 to 10,339 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 153 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,230 to #3,383.
FAQ
Bunn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bunn?
Name Census estimates that about 11,856 living Americans carry the surname Bunn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 28,910 residents.
How common is Bunn?
Bunn ranks #3,383 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.46 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,339 people with the surname Bunn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,856), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.46 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Bunn.
Has Bunn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bunn went from 11,180 recorded bearers to 10,339. That is a decrease of 841 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,230 to #3,383.
What does the Census say about the background of Bunn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bunn, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) 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 Bunn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.2% (8,087 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bunn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.2%), Black (13.0%), 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 Bunn (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 Bunn mean?
A nickname derived from Old French meaning "good" or "well," likely referring to a cheerful person. 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 Bunn (3.46 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 last name Bunn?
Find out how many people are called Bunn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.