2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gunsell
A surname of English origin referring to someone who worked as a gunsmith or seller of guns.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Gunsell. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gunsell 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Gunsell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunsell, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gunsell
The surname Gunsell is of English origin, believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a now-lost place name, possibly in Dorset or Somerset. The name may stem from the Old English words "gund" meaning "pus" or "matter" and "sele" meaning "hall" or "dwelling."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Assize Rolls of Somerset from 1273, where a Richard Gundeshulle is mentioned. This spelling variation provides insight into the name's potential origins and locational roots.
In the 16th century, the Gunsell surname appears in the records of the parish of Babcary in Somerset, with the baptism of John Gunsell in 1573. This suggests the name may have its roots in this region of southwestern England.
Notable individuals bearing the Gunsell surname include William Gunsell, a yeoman from Dorset who lived in the late 16th century. His will, dated 1589, is preserved in the records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury.
In the 17th century, a Thomas Gunsell was born in Marnhull, Dorset, around 1635. He later became a prominent landowner and farmer in the area.
Moving into the 18th century, we find records of a John Gunsell, born in 1712 in Sherborne, Dorset, who served as a local magistrate and justice of the peace.
The 19th century saw the birth of Edward Gunsell (1819-1892), a renowned architect from Bath, Somerset, responsible for designing several notable buildings in the city and surrounding region.
While the Gunsell name may have originated from a specific location, it eventually spread across various parts of England, particularly in the southwestern counties of Somerset and Dorset, where it has maintained a presence throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gunsell
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunsell, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gunsell 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 Gunsell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 98
- Two or more races4.7% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gunsell
Gunsell 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,197 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,705 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 12,197 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 3,705 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 Gunsell 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 | #156,044 | #152,339 | 2.4% |
| Count | 104 | 106 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gunsell bearers went from 104 to 106 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 3,705 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #152,339.
FAQ
Gunsell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gunsell?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Gunsell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Gunsell?
Gunsell ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Gunsell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Gunsell.
Has Gunsell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gunsell went from 104 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Gunsell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunsell, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (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 Gunsell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gunsell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Hispanic (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 Gunsell (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 Gunsell mean?
A surname of English origin referring to someone who worked as a gunsmith or seller of guns. 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 Gunsell (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 Americans have the surname Gunsell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.