2000
#7,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,946
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.46
Rare Last name
Bunton
Derived from a place name meaning "town in the hollow" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,458 Americans carry the last name Bunton. That puts it at #8,150 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,885 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bunton 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 Bunton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 76,885
Census rank
#8,150
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,888 bearers of the surname Bunton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8150th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bunton, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.8%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bunton
The surname Bunton originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "bun," meaning a small hill or mound, and the suffix "-ton," which denotes a farm or settlement. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived on or near a small hill or raised ground.
The earliest known record of the Bunton surname dates back to the 13th century, when it appeared in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, a census-like document compiled in 1273. One of the earliest recorded instances was John de Bunton, mentioned in the rolls as residing in the village of Bunton, Oxfordshire.
In the 14th century, the name was also found in the records of the nearby county of Berkshire, with references to a William de Bunton in 1327 and a John Bunton in 1381. These records indicate that the name was well-established in the southern part of England during the Middle Ages.
The Bunton surname is not found in the Domesday Book, the famous survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that the name likely emerged later, possibly as a result of the Norman Conquest and the subsequent influence of French language and culture on English place names.
Notable individuals with the surname Bunton throughout history include:
1. John Bunton (c. 1630-1707), an English Puritan minister and author who served as the rector of St. Stephen's Church in Bristol.
2. William Bunton (1633-1693), an English writer and traveler who authored a book titled "The Travels of William Bunton, or, A Sure and Speedy Way to Preferment" in 1687.
3. Samuel Bunton (1628-1692), an English dissenting minister and educator who established a school in Coventry.
4. Thomas Bunton (1778-1846), a British architect and surveyor who designed several churches and public buildings in London.
5. James Bunton (1778-1853), an English landscape painter known for his depictions of rural scenes and landscapes.
While the Bunton surname has its origins in southern England, it eventually spread to other parts of the country and even to other English-speaking regions as a result of migration and settlement patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bunton
Among Census respondents with the surname Bunton, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.8%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bunton 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 Bunton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.8% · 2,479
- Black or African American26.2% · 1,018
- Two or more races5.0% · 195
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 145
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bunton
Bunton 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
#7,899
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,191
+245 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 134 places
2020
#8,150
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,888
-303 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 251 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,765 | 3,946 | 1.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,899 | 4,191 | 1.42 | +245 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 134 places |
| 2020 | #8,150 | 3,888 | 1.30 | -303 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 251 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 Bunton 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 | #7,899 | #8,150 | -3.2% |
| Count | 4,191 | 3,888 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.42 | 1.30 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bunton bearers went from 4,191 to 3,888 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 251 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,899 to #8,150.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bunton
FAQ
Bunton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bunton?
Name Census estimates that about 4,458 living Americans carry the surname Bunton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,885 residents.
How common is Bunton?
Bunton ranks #8,150 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,888 people with the surname Bunton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,458), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.30 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bunton.
Has Bunton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bunton went from 4,191 recorded bearers to 3,888. That is a decrease of 303 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,899 to #8,150.
What does the Census say about the background of Bunton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bunton, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.8%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Bunton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.8% (2,479 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bunton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.8%), Black (26.2%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Bunton (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 Bunton mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "town in the hollow" in Old English. 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 Bunton (1.30 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 Bunton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.