2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Glunk
A German surname originally a nickname for a person with a dull or lifeless expression.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Glunk. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Glunk 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Glunk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Glunk, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Glunk
The surname Glunk has its origins in the Frisian region of the Netherlands, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old Frisian word "glunken," which referred to a small, muddy stream or pond. This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify individuals who lived near or worked around such bodies of water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Glunk name appears in the Frisian manuscript "De Oude Frijen," which dates back to the late 14th century. This document mentions a "Sytse Glunk" who was a farmer in the village of Leeuwarden.
In the 16th century, the Glunk name can be found in records from the city of Groningen, where a "Pieter Glunk" was a prominent merchant and landowner. His son, Hendrik Glunk (1543-1612), was a respected scholar and author who wrote extensively on the history and culture of Friesland.
As the Glunk family spread throughout the Netherlands and beyond, variations in spelling began to emerge. In the 17th century, records from the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) show a "Johannes Glunck" who was a colonial administrator in Batavia (now Jakarta).
One notable figure with the Glunk surname was Willem Glunk (1701-1768), a Dutch painter and engraver who specialized in landscapes and cityscapes. His works can be found in several museums across Europe, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
Another individual of note was Anna Glunk (1822-1897), a German-born educator and women's rights activist. She played a significant role in establishing some of the first schools for girls in the United States and was a vocal advocate for equal educational opportunities.
In the 19th century, the Glunk name also appeared in various parts of Europe, including Germany and Poland. Johann Glunk (1846-1923) was a Polish-born composer and conductor who gained recognition for his orchestral works and opera compositions.
While the Glunk name is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the diverse tapestry of surnames that reflect the rich cultural heritage of the Netherlands and its neighboring regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Glunk
Among Census respondents with the surname Glunk, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Glunk 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 Glunk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 8
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Glunk
Glunk appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,457 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 1,457 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 Glunk 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 | #151,532 | #152,989 | -1.0% |
| Count | 108 | 105 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Glunk bearers went from 108 to 105 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 1,457 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #152,989.
FAQ
Glunk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Glunk?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Glunk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Glunk?
Glunk ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Glunk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Glunk.
Has Glunk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Glunk went from 108 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Glunk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Glunk, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Glunk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Glunk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (7.6%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Glunk (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 Glunk mean?
A German surname originally a nickname for a person with a dull or lifeless expression. 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 Glunk (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 common is the surname Glunk?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Glunk on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.