2000
#2,442
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,583
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.04
Uncommon Last name
Gunderson
A patronymic surname of Scandinavian origin, meaning "son of Gunder," derived from the Old Norse name Gunnarr.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,546 Americans carry the last name Gunderson. That puts it at #2,766 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,563 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gunderson 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
15K
1 in 23,563
Census rank
#2,766
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,685 bearers of the surname Gunderson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2766th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunderson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gunderson
The surname Gunderson originated in Scandinavia, most likely in Norway or Sweden. It is derived from the Old Norse personal name "Gunnarr" or "Gunnar," combined with the patronymic suffix "-son," meaning "son of Gunnar." The name Gunnar was a popular name among the Vikings and is believed to be derived from the Old Norse words "gunni" (war or battle) and "arr" (warrior or army).
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gunderson appears in the 13th-century Icelandic sagas, where it is mentioned as the surname of a prominent family. The sagas, which were written in the 13th and 14th centuries, often included detailed genealogies and references to historical figures, making them a valuable source for tracing the origins of surnames.
During the Viking Age, from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries, the name Gunderson was likely associated with individuals who were skilled warriors or came from families with a military background. As the Vikings explored and settled in various parts of Europe, the name may have been carried to other regions.
In the Middle Ages, the Gunderson surname can be found in various historical records and documents from Scandinavia. One notable example is Gunnar Gunderson, a Norwegian chieftain who lived in the 13th century and was mentioned in the Icelandic Annals for his involvement in local conflicts.
Another early recorded instance of the name is Gunder Gunderson, a Norwegian farmer and landowner who lived in the late 15th century. His name appears in land registry documents from the region of Hedmark, in eastern Norway.
As the Gunderson family spread throughout Scandinavia and Europe, the name may have been adapted to local spellings and pronunciations. For example, in Denmark, it may have been rendered as "Gundersen," while in Germany, it could have been spelled as "Gunderson" or "Gundermann."
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Gunderson was Hans Gunderson, a Norwegian-American explorer and fur trader who lived in the early 19th century. He was instrumental in establishing trade routes and settlements in the Pacific Northwest region of North America.
Other notable figures with the Gunderson surname include Gunnar Gunderson, a Norwegian author and poet who lived in the late 19th century, and Gunder Gunderson, a Norwegian-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Gunderson Foundation in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gunderson
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunderson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gunderson 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 Gunderson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 11,765
- Two or more races2.9% · 362
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 337
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 92
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 88
- Black or African American0.3% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gunderson
Gunderson 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
#2,624
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,742
+159 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 4.66
Rank movement Down 182 places
2020
#2,766
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,685
-1,057 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 4.24
Rank movement Down 142 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,442 | 13,583 | 5.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,624 | 13,742 | 4.66 | +159 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 182 places |
| 2020 | #2,766 | 12,685 | 4.24 | -1,057 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 142 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 Gunderson 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 | #2,624 | #2,766 | -5.4% |
| Count | 13,742 | 12,685 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 4.66 | 4.24 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gunderson bearers went from 13,742 to 12,685 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 142 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,624 to #2,766.
FAQ
Gunderson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gunderson?
Name Census estimates that about 14,546 living Americans carry the surname Gunderson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,563 residents.
How common is Gunderson?
Gunderson ranks #2,766 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,685 people with the surname Gunderson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,546), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Gunderson.
Has Gunderson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gunderson went from 13,742 recorded bearers to 12,685. That is a decrease of 1,057 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,624 to #2,766.
What does the Census say about the background of Gunderson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunderson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Gunderson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (11,765 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gunderson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Gunderson (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 Gunderson mean?
A patronymic surname of Scandinavian origin, meaning "son of Gunder," derived from the Old Norse name Gunnarr. 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 Gunderson (4.24 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 Gunderson?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Gunderson, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.