2000
#37,200
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 564
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.21
Very Rare Last name
Cundy
An English locational surname derived from a place now called Condy in Dorset.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 709 Americans carry the last name Cundy. That puts it at #38,554 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 483,433 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cundy 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 Cundy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
709
1 in 483,433
Census rank
#38,554
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
618
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 618 bearers of the surname Cundy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38554th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cundy, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cundy
The surname Cundy is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "cund" or "cunde," meaning "kind" or "nature." It is believed to have originated as a nickname or descriptive name, likely referring to someone with a gentle or kind disposition.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire in 1327, where it appears as "William Cundi." The name is also mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Lincolnshire in 1554, with the spelling "Cundye."
The Cundy surname is closely associated with the county of Staffordshire, particularly the village of Kinver, where it is thought to have originated. Some early references to the name in this area include John Cundy, who was recorded in the Kinver Parish Registers in 1558, and Thomas Cundy, mentioned in the Worcestershire Hearth Tax Returns of 1672.
Notable figures throughout history who bore the Cundy surname include:
1. John Cundy (c. 1765-1835), an English landscape painter and engraver from Worcestershire.
2. Samuel Cundy (1823-1891), a British architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Albert Hall.
3. Mary Cundy (1842-1913), a British teacher and philanthropist who founded the Cundy Industrial Home for Destitute Girls in London.
4. Robert Cundy (1905-1989), a British architect and town planner known for his work in the reconstruction of cities after World War II.
5. Michael Cundy (born 1951), a British composer and musician best known for his work in television and film scores.
While the Cundy surname has been associated with various place names, such as Cundy's Croft in Staffordshire, it is primarily a descriptive surname rather than a locative one. It has also been spelled in various ways throughout history, including Cundi, Cundye, and Kundy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cundy
Among Census respondents with the surname Cundy, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Cundy 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 Cundy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 567
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 21
- Black or African American2.1% · 13
- Two or more races1.6% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cundy
Cundy 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
#40,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 539
-25 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 3,354 places
2020
#38,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 618
+79 bearers (+14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Up 2,000 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #37,200 | 564 | 0.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #40,554 | 539 | 0.18 | -25 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 3,354 places |
| 2020 | #38,554 | 618 | 0.21 | +79 bearers (+14.7%) | Up 2,000 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 Cundy 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 | #40,554 | #38,554 | 4.9% |
| Count | 539 | 618 | 14.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.21 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cundy bearers went from 539 to 618 (+14.7% change). The surname moved up 2,000 positions in the national ranking, going from #40,554 to #38,554.
FAQ
Cundy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cundy?
Name Census estimates that about 709 living Americans carry the surname Cundy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 483,433 residents.
How common is Cundy?
Cundy ranks #38,554 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 618 people with the surname Cundy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (709), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Cundy.
Has Cundy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cundy went from 539 recorded bearers to 618. That is an increase of 79 (+14.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #40,554 to #38,554.
What does the Census say about the background of Cundy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cundy, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (2.1%). 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 Cundy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (567 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cundy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.4%), Black (2.1%). 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 Cundy (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 Cundy mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place now called Condy in Dorset. 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 Cundy (0.21 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 have the last name Cundy?
See how many Americans have the surname Cundy on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.