2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cunic
A surname likely derived from the Croatian word for "rabbit".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Cunic. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cunic 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Cunic in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cunic, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cunic
The surname CUNIC has its origins in the Balkans, specifically in the regions of modern-day Croatia and Serbia. It dates back to the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Slavic word "kunica," which means "marten" or "weasel." This suggests that the original bearers of this surname may have been hunters or trappers of these small furry animals.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the CUNIC surname can be found in a land registry from the region of Dalmatia (now part of Croatia) in the year 1357. The document mentions a landowner named Petar Cunic. It is possible that this individual or his ancestors adopted the surname based on their occupation or association with hunting martens.
In the 15th century, a notable figure with the CUNIC surname was Ivan Cunic, a merchant and trader from the city of Dubrovnik (then an independent republic). He is mentioned in several historical records from the years 1432 to 1466, detailing his business dealings and travels throughout the Mediterranean region.
During the Ottoman conquest of the Balkans in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, many Croats and Serbs fled their homeland to seek refuge in other parts of Europe. This diaspora likely contributed to the spread of the CUNIC surname beyond the Balkan region. For instance, in the 16th century, there are records of a family with the surname CUNIC settling in the city of Venice, Italy.
Another notable bearer of this surname was Mihovil Cunic, a Croatian writer and historian who lived from 1645 to 1718. He is best known for his work "Historia Ragusina" (History of Ragusa), which documents the history of the Republic of Ragusa (modern-day Dubrovnik).
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the CUNIC surname was Jovan Cunic, a Serbian politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Principality of Serbia from 1868 to 1870. He played a crucial role in the negotiations that led to the recognition of Serbia's independence by the Ottoman Empire.
While the CUNIC surname has its roots in the Balkans, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in the regions of modern-day Croatia and Serbia, where it was likely associated with hunting or trapping martens and weasels.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cunic
Among Census respondents with the surname Cunic, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Cunic 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 Cunic surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 106
- Two or more races4.5% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cunic
Cunic 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,437 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,412 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,437 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,412 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 Cunic 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 | #147,253 | #148,665 | -1.0% |
| Count | 112 | 111 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cunic bearers went from 112 to 111 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,412 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #148,665.
FAQ
Cunic surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cunic?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Cunic. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Cunic?
Cunic ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Cunic. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Cunic.
Has Cunic become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cunic went from 112 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Cunic?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cunic, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Cunic in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cunic appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Cunic (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 Cunic mean?
A surname likely derived from the Croatian word for "rabbit". 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 Cunic (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 Cunic?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.