2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cuenin
A Francophone surname referring to an immigrant from the French region of Franche-Comté.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Cuenin. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cuenin 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Cuenin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuenin, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cuenin
The surname Cuenin is of French origin, tracing its roots back to the Franche-Comté region of eastern France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "cuen," which means "rabbit." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a rabbit warren or had an occupation related to rabbits.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Cuenin name appears in the 13th-century Armorial de la Franche-Comté, a heraldic roll listing the names and coats of arms of noble families from the region. This indicates that the name was well-established among the gentry of Franche-Comté by that time.
In the 16th century, a variant spelling, "Cuening," can be found in the records of the town of Besançon, the capital of Franche-Comté. This suggests that the name may have originated in or near that area.
One notable bearer of the Cuenin name was Jean-Baptiste Cuenin (1677-1745), a French architect and military engineer who worked on fortifications in Franche-Comté and the nearby Duchy of Lorraine. His contributions to the region's architectural heritage have been recognized by historians.
Another prominent figure was Claude-Marie Cuenin (1731-1804), a French Catholic priest and mathematician who served as a professor at the University of Besançon. He published several works on mathematics and astronomy during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, a branch of the Cuenin family emigrated from Franche-Comté to the United States, where the name was sometimes anglicized to "Cueny." One descendant, Charles Cueny (1847-1918), was a successful businessman and philanthropist in Wisconsin who donated funds for the establishment of a public library in his hometown of Green Bay.
While the Cuenin name is most commonly associated with eastern France, it has also been found in other parts of the country, such as the Burgundy and Champagne regions. This suggests that families bearing this surname may have spread out from their original homeland over the centuries.
Despite its relatively obscure origins, the Cuenin name has endured for centuries and can be traced back to the medieval nobility of Franche-Comté, a region with a rich cultural and historical heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cuenin
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuenin, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Cuenin 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 Cuenin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 107
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cuenin
Cuenin 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+3 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,605 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,187 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 6,605 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 1,187 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 Cuenin 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 | #150,452 | #151,639 | -0.8% |
| Count | 109 | 107 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cuenin bearers went from 109 to 107 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 1,187 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #151,639.
FAQ
Cuenin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cuenin?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Cuenin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Cuenin?
Cuenin ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Cuenin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Cuenin.
Has Cuenin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cuenin went from 109 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Cuenin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuenin, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Cuenin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cuenin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Cuenin (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 Cuenin mean?
A Francophone surname referring to an immigrant from the French region of Franche-Comté. 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 Cuenin (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 Cuenin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.