Find out how popular the last name Bunning is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bunning.

Bunning, 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 Bunning surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bunning in America

Bunning is the 45804th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bunning surname appeared 466 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Bunning.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bunning 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.

The history of the last name 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bunning

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bunning.

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:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bunning was:

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 Bunning has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

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 Bunning was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bunning, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!