2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bunyak
A surname of Ukrainian origin referring to a rebellious or disobedient person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Bunyak. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bunyak 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Bunyak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bunyak, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bunyak
The surname Bunyak originates from the Slavic region, specifically in modern-day Ukraine and parts of western Russia. Its roots can be traced back to the 16th century or earlier, derived from the old Slavic word "bunka," meaning a type of drum or barrel used for storage.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Bunyak name can be found in the Lytovska Metrika, a collection of historical documents from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which included parts of present-day Belarus, Ukraine, and Lithuania. In these records from the late 15th century, there are references to individuals with the surname Bunyak, suggesting their presence in the region during that time.
The Bunyak name is also found in various church records and census data from the 17th and 18th centuries in areas such as the Kyiv Governorate and the Chernihiv region of Ukraine. These records often include variations in spelling, such as Buniak, Buniaki, and Buniyak, reflecting the fluidity of surnames during that period.
One notable individual with the Bunyak surname was Hryhoriy Bunyak, a prominent Ukrainian Cossack leader and military commander who lived in the late 17th century. He played a significant role in the struggle against Polish-Lithuanian rule and the defense of Ukrainian lands.
Another historical figure with this surname was Ivan Bunyak, a Ukrainian writer and poet who lived in the early 19th century. He is known for his contributions to the development of Ukrainian literature and his works that explored themes of national identity and cultural heritage.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several individuals with the Bunyak surname made their mark in various fields. Oleksiy Bunyak (1857-1934) was a renowned Ukrainian painter and art teacher who helped establish the Kharkiv Art School. Mykhailo Bunyak (1876-1942) was a prominent Ukrainian economist and political figure who served as a member of the Central Rada, the revolutionary parliament that declared Ukraine's independence in 1917.
Petro Bunyak (1891-1967) was a Ukrainian writer and journalist who played an active role in the cultural and literary movements of his time. He is best known for his novels and short stories that depicted the lives of ordinary people in rural Ukraine.
It is important to note that while the Bunyak surname has its roots in the Slavic region, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the cultural and linguistic heritage of Ukraine and the surrounding areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bunyak
Among Census respondents with the surname Bunyak, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bunyak 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 Bunyak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 112
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bunyak
Bunyak 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+6 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,391 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,042 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 3,391 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 5,042 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 Bunyak 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 | #139,228 | #144,270 | -3.6% |
| Count | 120 | 117 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bunyak bearers went from 120 to 117 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 5,042 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #144,270.
FAQ
Bunyak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bunyak?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Bunyak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Bunyak?
Bunyak ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Bunyak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Bunyak.
Has Bunyak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bunyak went from 120 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Bunyak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bunyak, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Bunyak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bunyak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Two or More Races (2.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Bunyak (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 Bunyak mean?
A surname of Ukrainian origin referring to a rebellious or disobedient 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 Bunyak (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 Bunyak?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.