2000
#13,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,055
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Gunnell
Derived from a Middle English nickname for a fast runner, from the verb "goneil," meaning "to go quickly."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,543 Americans carry the last name Gunnell. That puts it at #13,196 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 134,783 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gunnell 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 Gunnell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 134,783
Census rank
#13,196
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,218 bearers of the surname Gunnell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13196th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gunnell
The surname Gunnell is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "gunnan" meaning "to fight" and "hyll" meaning "hill." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a hill associated with battles or military activity.
Gunnell is an ancient surname that can be traced back to the 11th century. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property rights in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book mentions a person named Gunhilda, whose name likely shares a similar root as Gunnell.
During the medieval period, the name Gunnell was most commonly found in the counties of Warwickshire and Staffordshire in the English Midlands. It is possible that the name originated in these areas, as several places in these counties bear names derived from similar Old English words, such as Gunhill and Gunnills.
Notable individuals with the surname Gunnell throughout history include Sir Roger Gunnell (c. 1535-1618), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another important figure was John Gunnell (1784-1856), a British architect who designed several prominent buildings in London, including the Royal Mint.
In the 19th century, William Gunnell (1811-1894) was a successful businessman and philanthropist from Gloucestershire, known for his contributions to the local community. His son, Henry Gunnell (1843-1922), followed in his footsteps and became a respected industrialist and civic leader in the same region.
More recently, Derek Gunnell (1933-2016) was a renowned English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club and the England national team in the 1950s and 1960s. He was widely regarded as one of the finest all-rounders of his era.
Throughout its long history, the surname Gunnell has been subject to various spelling variations, including Gunnill, Gunnells, and Gunnel. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained largely unchanged, reflecting its deep roots in the English language and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gunnell
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gunnell 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 Gunnell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 1,929
- Black or African American7.6% · 168
- Two or more races2.8% · 62
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gunnell
Gunnell 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
#13,383
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,276
+221 bearers (+10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 171 places
2020
#13,196
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,218
-58 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Up 187 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,554 | 2,055 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,383 | 2,276 | 0.77 | +221 bearers (+10.8%) | Up 171 places |
| 2020 | #13,196 | 2,218 | 0.74 | -58 bearers (-2.5%) | Up 187 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 Gunnell 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 | #13,383 | #13,196 | 1.4% |
| Count | 2,276 | 2,218 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.74 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gunnell bearers went from 2,276 to 2,218 (-2.5% change). The surname moved up 187 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,383 to #13,196.
FAQ
Gunnell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gunnell?
Name Census estimates that about 2,543 living Americans carry the surname Gunnell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 134,783 residents.
How common is Gunnell?
Gunnell ranks #13,196 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,218 people with the surname Gunnell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,543), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gunnell.
Has Gunnell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gunnell went from 2,276 recorded bearers to 2,218. That is a decrease of 58 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,383 to #13,196.
What does the Census say about the background of Gunnell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Gunnell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (1,929 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gunnell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Black (7.6%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Gunnell (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 Gunnell mean?
Derived from a Middle English nickname for a fast runner, from the verb "goneil," meaning "to go quickly." 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 Gunnell (0.74 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 have the last name Gunnell?
Want to know how many people are called Gunnell? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.