2000
#38,464
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 541
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Very Rare Last name
Bunning
Of English origin, related to "bun" and referring to a baker or seller of buns.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 640 Americans carry the last name Bunning. That puts it at #41,948 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 535,554 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bunning 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 Bunning with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
640
1 in 535,554
Census rank
#41,948
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
558
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 558 bearers of the surname Bunning in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 41948th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bunning, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bunning
The surname Bunning is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is thought to be derived from a Old English word "bunnan," which means "a small hill or mound." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near or on a small hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bunning can be found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, where it appears as "Bunnyng." This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.
In the 16th century, the Bunning surname appears in various historical records in Lancashire. For example, in the Lancashire Wills and Inventories from 1548 to 1625, there are several mentions of individuals with the name Bunning, including John Bunning of Clitheroe.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners in England compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Bunning. However, it does mention several place names that may have influenced the development of the surname, such as Bunbury in Cheshire.
One notable individual with the surname Bunning was Sir Thomas Bunning (1600-1677), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Lancashire during the English Civil War period. He was a staunch Royalist and played a significant role in the defense of Lathom House against Parliamentarian forces.
Another prominent figure was John Bunning (1688-1762), an English mathematician and astronomer. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1734 and made contributions to the study of comets and the calculation of eclipses.
In the 19th century, James Bunning (1835-1915) was a celebrated English cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club and was regarded as one of the best wicket-keepers of his time.
The Bunning surname also has a notable history in Australia, where it was brought by English settlers. One example is Sir Walter Bunning (1834-1920), an Australian businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Perth and was instrumental in the development of the Western Australian capital.
Finally, Sir Eric Bunning (1919-2003) was an Australian plant pathologist and scientist who made significant contributions to the study of plant diseases and their control. He was knighted in 1975 for his services to science and agriculture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bunning
Among Census respondents with the surname Bunning, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bunning 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 Bunning surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 516
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 20
- Two or more races2.5% · 14
- Black or African American1.1% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bunning
Bunning 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
#45,804
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 466
-75 bearers (-13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 7,340 places
2020
#41,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 558
+92 bearers (+19.7%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Up 3,856 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #38,464 | 541 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #45,804 | 466 | 0.16 | -75 bearers (-13.9%) | Down 7,340 places |
| 2020 | #41,948 | 558 | 0.19 | +92 bearers (+19.7%) | Up 3,856 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 Bunning 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 | #45,804 | #41,948 | 8.4% |
| Count | 466 | 558 | 19.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.19 | 16.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bunning bearers went from 466 to 558 (+19.7% change). The surname moved up 3,856 positions in the national ranking, going from #45,804 to #41,948.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bunning
FAQ
Bunning surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bunning?
Name Census estimates that about 640 living Americans carry the surname Bunning. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 535,554 residents.
How common is Bunning?
Bunning ranks #41,948 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.19 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 558 people with the surname Bunning. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (640), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.19 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 Bunning.
Has Bunning become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bunning went from 466 recorded bearers to 558. That is an increase of 92 (+19.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #45,804 to #41,948.
What does the Census say about the background of Bunning?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bunning, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Bunning in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (516 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bunning appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Bunning (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 Bunning mean?
Of English origin, related to "bun" and referring to a baker or seller of buns. 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 Bunning (0.19 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 common is the surname Bunning?
Find out how many people are called Bunning on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.