2000
#1,475
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.20
Uncommon Last name
Gunn
A Scottish and English occupational surname referring to someone who operated or manufactured guns or other weapons.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 26,211 Americans carry the last name Gunn. That puts it at #1,524 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,077 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gunn 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 Gunn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 13,077
Census rank
#1,524
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,857 bearers of the surname Gunn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1524th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunn, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.1%. The next largest groups are Black (25.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gunn
The surname Gunn is of Scottish origin, and it is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Gaelic word "gonn," which means "war" or "battle." This suggests that the name may have been initially adopted by someone who was a skilled warrior or soldier.
The earliest known record of the name Gunn is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a series of homage rolls recording those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England following the conquest of Scotland. In these rolls, the name appears as "Gwn" and "Gunnild." Over time, the spelling evolved into the more recognizable "Gunn."
In the 15th century, the Gunns were established as a prominent clan in the northern Scottish Highlands, particularly in the counties of Caithness and Sutherland. The clan's ancestral lands were located in the parish of Latheron in Caithness, where the Gunn family held significant influence and power.
One of the earliest recorded Gunns was Sir Alexander Gunn, who lived in the late 14th century and was a prominent figure in the clan. He is believed to have been involved in the Battle of Harlaw in 1411, a significant conflict between the Scottish nobility and the Lord of the Isles.
Another notable Gunn was Robert Gunn, who was born in 1670 and served as the Bishop of Caithness from 1714 to 1727. He played an important role in the Scottish Episcopal Church during a turbulent period in Scottish history.
In the 18th century, George Gunn (1718-1782) was a Scottish mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
The Gunns were also involved in the Jacobite risings of the 18th century, with several members of the clan supporting the cause of the exiled House of Stuart. One such Gunn was John Gunn (1718-1800), who fought at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, the final confrontation of the Jacobite uprising.
In the 19th century, George Gunn (1801-1868) was a Scottish surgeon and anatomist who made notable contributions to the field of medical education and the study of human anatomy.
The Gunn surname has spread throughout the world, with many descendants of the Scottish clan now found in various countries, including England, Ireland, the United States, Canada, and Australia. However, the name remains strongly associated with its Scottish Highland origins and the rich history of the Gunn clan.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gunn
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunn, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.1%. The next largest groups are Black (25.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Gunn 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 Gunn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.1% · 14,884
- Black or African American25.3% · 5,790
- Two or more races4.4% · 1,017
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 838
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 210
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 118
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gunn
Gunn 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
#1,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,524
+1,404 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 7.97
Rank movement Down 50 places
2020
#1,524
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,857
-667 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 7.65
Rank movement Up 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,475 | 22,120 | 8.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,525 | 23,524 | 7.97 | +1,404 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 50 places |
| 2020 | #1,524 | 22,857 | 7.65 | -667 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 1 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 Gunn 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 | #1,525 | #1,524 | 0.1% |
| Count | 23,524 | 22,857 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 7.97 | 7.65 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gunn bearers went from 23,524 to 22,857 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,525 to #1,524.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gunn
FAQ
Gunn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gunn?
Name Census estimates that about 26,211 living Americans carry the surname Gunn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,077 residents.
How common is Gunn?
Gunn ranks #1,524 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,857 people with the surname Gunn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (26,211), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Gunn.
Has Gunn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gunn went from 23,524 recorded bearers to 22,857. That is a decrease of 667 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,525 to #1,524.
What does the Census say about the background of Gunn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunn, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.1%. The next largest groups are Black (25.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Gunn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.1% (14,884 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gunn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.1%), Black (25.3%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Gunn (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 Gunn mean?
A Scottish and English occupational surname referring to someone who operated or manufactured guns or other weapons. 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 Gunn (7.65 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 Americans have the surname Gunn?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.