2010
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gunyan
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Gunyan. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gunyan 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Gunyan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunyan, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gunyan
The surname GUNYAN is believed to have originated in the Punjab region of South Asia, encompassing parts of modern-day India and Pakistan. Historians trace its roots back to the 16th century, when it was likely derived from the Sanskrit word "guṇa," meaning "virtue" or "excellence."
In the earliest records, the name appears to have been spelled in various ways, including Gunnayan, Gunnayen, and Gunnian. One of the earliest known references can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar, which mentions a Gunyan among the list of high-ranking officials.
The name gained prominence during the reign of the Sikh Empire in the early 19th century. Historical accounts mention a prominent military commander named Gunyan Singh, who played a crucial role in the battles against the Afghan forces in the 1820s. His exact birth and death years are uncertain, but he is believed to have lived between the late 18th and mid-19th centuries.
Another notable figure was Gunyan Chand, a wealthy merchant and philanthropist from the city of Lahore, who lived during the latter half of the 19th century. He was known for his generous contributions towards the construction of schools and hospitals in the region.
In the early 20th century, a scholar and linguist named Gunyan Das made significant contributions to the study of Punjabi literature and language. Born in 1885 in the village of Gujjarwal, he authored numerous books and served as a professor at various educational institutions until his death in 1967.
The name GUNYAN has also been associated with several place names in the Punjab region, such as Gunyanwala and Gunyanpur, which may have derived their names from the surname itself or vice versa.
Another notable figure bearing the surname was Gunyan Kaur, a renowned Punjabi folk singer and actress who gained popularity in the mid-20th century. She was born in 1923 and passed away in 1998, leaving behind a legacy of preserving and promoting Punjabi cultural heritage through her art.
While the surname GUNYAN is not as common today as it once was, it remains an integral part of the rich cultural tapestry of the Punjab region, carrying with it a centuries-old history and connections to notable figures from various walks of life.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gunyan
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunyan, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gunyan 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 Gunyan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gunyan
Gunyan appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,560 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 3,560 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 Gunyan 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 | #139,228 | #142,788 | -2.6% |
| Count | 120 | 119 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gunyan bearers went from 120 to 119 (-0.8% change). The surname moved down 3,560 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #142,788.
FAQ
Gunyan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gunyan?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Gunyan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Gunyan?
Gunyan ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Gunyan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Gunyan.
Has Gunyan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gunyan went from 120 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Gunyan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunyan, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and 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 Gunyan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gunyan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (3.4%), 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 Gunyan (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 Gunyan mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name. 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 Gunyan (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 share the surname Gunyan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.