2000
#5,165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,231
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.31
Rare Last name
Cundiff
Derived from a place name meaning "valley with a hidden stream" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,901 Americans carry the last name Cundiff. That puts it at #5,575 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,667 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cundiff 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
6.9K
1 in 49,667
Census rank
#5,575
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,018 bearers of the surname Cundiff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5575th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cundiff, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cundiff
The surname Cundiff originated in England, with the earliest records dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "cundith," which means "to make known" or "to announce." This suggests that the name may have been given to a town crier or messenger in medieval times.
The Cundiff surname is predominantly found in the northern counties of England, particularly Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1194, where a person named Robert Cundith is mentioned.
In the 13th century, the surname appears in various forms, such as Cundit, Cundy, and Cundye. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and scribal errors. A notable early record is from the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1273, which mentions a William Cundye.
The Cundiff surname has also been associated with certain place names in England. For example, there is a village called Cundall in North Yorkshire, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name in that region.
One of the earliest recorded Cundiffs was John Cundiff, who was born in Yorkshire in the late 15th century. He was a prominent landowner and is mentioned in several historical documents from that time period.
Another notable figure with the Cundiff surname was Sir Thomas Cundiff, a soldier who fought in the English Civil War during the 17th century. He was born in Lincolnshire in 1610 and played a significant role in several battles, including the Battle of Naseby in 1645.
In the 18th century, a prominent Cundiff family lived in the village of Kirby Cane in Norfolk. The patriarch, William Cundiff (1725-1798), was a successful farmer and landowner, and several of his descendants continued to live in the area for generations.
Another individual worth mentioning is Reverend John Cundiff (1768-1849), an Anglican clergyman who served as the Rector of Barton-upon-Humber in Lincolnshire for over 40 years.
In more recent times, a notable Cundiff was Charles Cundiff (1859-1942), a British architect who designed several prominent buildings in London, including the Goldsmiths' Hall and the Church of St. Dunstan-in-the-West.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cundiff
Among Census respondents with the surname Cundiff, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Cundiff 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 Cundiff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 5,362
- Two or more races3.6% · 214
- Black or African American3.2% · 190
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 183
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cundiff
Cundiff 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
#5,531
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,283
+52 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 2.13
Rank movement Down 366 places
2020
#5,575
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,018
-265 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 2.01
Rank movement Down 44 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,165 | 6,231 | 2.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,531 | 6,283 | 2.13 | +52 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 366 places |
| 2020 | #5,575 | 6,018 | 2.01 | -265 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 44 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 Cundiff 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 | #5,531 | #5,575 | -0.8% |
| Count | 6,283 | 6,018 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.13 | 2.01 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cundiff bearers went from 6,283 to 6,018 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 44 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,531 to #5,575.
FAQ
Cundiff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cundiff?
Name Census estimates that about 6,901 living Americans carry the surname Cundiff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,667 residents.
How common is Cundiff?
Cundiff ranks #5,575 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,018 people with the surname Cundiff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,901), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Cundiff.
Has Cundiff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cundiff went from 6,283 recorded bearers to 6,018. That is a decrease of 265 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,531 to #5,575.
What does the Census say about the background of Cundiff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cundiff, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (3.2%). 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 Cundiff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (5,362 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cundiff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Black (3.2%). 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 Cundiff (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 Cundiff mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "valley with a hidden stream" 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 Cundiff (2.01 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 common is the surname Cundiff?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Cundiff, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.