2000
#19,263
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,302
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.48
Rare Last name
Cunanan
A surname of Filipino origin, possibly derived from a Spanish word meaning "cradle" or "crib."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,443 Americans carry the last name Cunanan. That puts it at #13,619 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,301 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cunanan 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
2.4K
1 in 140,301
Census rank
#13,619
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,130 bearers of the surname Cunanan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13619th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cunanan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and White (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cunanan
The surname CUNANAN is believed to have originated in the Philippines. Its origins can be traced back to the 16th century, when Spanish colonizers arrived in the archipelago. The name is thought to have derived from the Spanish word "cuñado," meaning brother-in-law, or from the word "cuña," meaning wedge or chisel.
During the Spanish colonial period, it was common practice for Filipino families to adopt Spanish surnames as a way of assimilating into the dominant culture. The name CUNANAN may have been given to a family or individual who had a close relationship with a brother-in-law or who worked as a wedge-maker or woodcarver.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname CUNANAN can be found in the 1848 Catalogo Alfabetico de Apellidos, a census-like document compiled by the Spanish colonial government in the Philippines. This document listed many Filipino families and their adopted Spanish surnames.
In the late 19th century, a notable figure named Isidro CUNANAN (1848-1919) was a prominent member of the Philippine Revolution against Spanish rule. He served as a general in the revolutionary forces and later held political office under the First Philippine Republic.
Another historical figure with the surname CUNANAN was Filemon CUNANAN (1892-1976), a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Philippine House of Representatives and the Philippine Senate in the mid-20th century.
In the field of literature, the name CUNANAN is associated with the Filipino writer and academic, Jose Maria CUNANAN (1901-1983), who authored several books on Philippine history and culture.
Outside of the Philippines, one of the most famous individuals with the surname CUNANAN was Andrew CUNANAN (1969-1997), an American serial killer who gained notoriety for his cross-country murder spree in 1997, which included the killing of fashion designer Gianni Versace.
Another notable bearer of the name was the American artist and sculptor, Cesar CUNANAN (1916-1992), who was known for his abstract and modernist works and was a prominent figure in the New York art scene in the mid-20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cunanan
Among Census respondents with the surname Cunanan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and White (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Cunanan 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 Cunanan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander85.9% · 1,830
- Two or more races5.2% · 110
- White4.4% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 89
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cunanan
Cunanan 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
#15,995
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,815
+513 bearers (+39.4%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 3,268 places
2020
#13,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,130
+315 bearers (+17.4%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 2,376 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,263 | 1,302 | 0.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,995 | 1,815 | 0.62 | +513 bearers (+39.4%) | Up 3,268 places |
| 2020 | #13,619 | 2,130 | 0.71 | +315 bearers (+17.4%) | Up 2,376 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 Cunanan 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 | #15,995 | #13,619 | 14.9% |
| Count | 1,815 | 2,130 | 17.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 0.71 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cunanan bearers went from 1,815 to 2,130 (+17.4% change). The surname moved up 2,376 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,995 to #13,619.
FAQ
Cunanan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cunanan?
Name Census estimates that about 2,443 living Americans carry the surname Cunanan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,301 residents.
How common is Cunanan?
Cunanan ranks #13,619 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,130 people with the surname Cunanan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,443), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Cunanan.
Has Cunanan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cunanan went from 1,815 recorded bearers to 2,130. That is an increase of 315 (+17.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,995 to #13,619.
What does the Census say about the background of Cunanan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cunanan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and White (4.4%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cunanan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (1,830 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cunanan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (85.9%), Two or More Races (5.2%), White (4.4%). 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 Cunanan (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 Cunanan mean?
A surname of Filipino origin, possibly derived from a Spanish word meaning "cradle" or "crib." 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 Cunanan (0.71 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 Americans have the surname Cunanan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.