2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gunden
A locational surname originating from the German place name Gunden.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 150 Americans carry the last name Gunden. That puts it at #133,930 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,285,029 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gunden 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
150
1 in 2,285,029
Census rank
#133,930
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
131
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 131 bearers of the surname Gunden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 133930th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunden, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gunden
The surname GUNDEN is believed to have originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "gund," meaning "battle" or "war." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who was a skilled warrior or soldier.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in a German church record from 1587, which mentions a Johann Gunden from the town of Heidelberg. Another early record is from the city of Nuremberg in 1612, where a Hans Gunden is listed as a member of the local guild of blacksmiths.
In the 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Europe, with records showing people named Gunden living in areas such as Switzerland and the Netherlands. For example, a man named Jakob Gunden was born in the Swiss canton of Bern in 1648.
One notable figure with the surname Gunden was Johann Caspar Gunden, a German composer and organist who lived from 1671 to 1727. He is known for his contributions to the development of the Baroque music style and for his work as an organist at several churches in the city of Hamburg.
Another individual of note was Hans Gunden, a German soldier who fought in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). Records from the time mention his service under the Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus and his participation in several key battles, including the Battle of Breitenfeld in 1631.
In the 18th century, variations of the name began to appear, such as Gundner and Gundert. One example is Johann Georg Gundner, a German philosopher and writer who lived from 1717 to 1785 and authored several works on ethics and political theory.
As the name spread beyond its origins in Germany, it also took on various spellings in different languages. For instance, in the Netherlands, the name is sometimes spelled as "Gunden," while in English-speaking countries, it may appear as "Gunden" or "Gundun."
Overall, the surname GUNDEN has a long and rich history, with roots dating back to medieval Germany and a possible connection to the military or warrior class. While the name is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the cultural heritage of several European countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gunden
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunden, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gunden 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 Gunden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.2% · 130
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gunden
Gunden 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+25 bearers (+24.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 14,632 places
2020
#133,930
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
+2 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,551 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +25 bearers (+24.0%) | Up 14,632 places |
| 2020 | #133,930 | 131 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 2,551 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 Gunden 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 | #131,379 | #133,930 | -1.9% |
| Count | 129 | 131 | 1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gunden bearers went from 129 to 131 (+1.6% change). The surname moved down 2,551 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #133,930.
FAQ
Gunden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gunden?
Name Census estimates that about 150 living Americans carry the surname Gunden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,285,029 residents.
How common is Gunden?
Gunden ranks #133,930 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 131 people with the surname Gunden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (150), 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 Gunden.
Has Gunden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gunden went from 129 recorded bearers to 131. That is an increase of 2 (+1.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #133,930.
What does the Census say about the background of Gunden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunden, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%). 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 Gunden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.2% (130 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gunden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.2%), Black (0.8%). 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 Gunden (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 Gunden mean?
A locational surname originating from the German place name Gunden. 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 Gunden (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 are called Gunden?
See how many people are called Gunden on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.