2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Gunzburg
A locational surname referring to the town of Gunzburg in Bavaria, Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Gunzburg. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gunzburg 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Gunzburg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunzburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gunzburg
The surname Gunzburg has its origins in the German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly in the area of modern-day southern Germany and western Austria. Its earliest roots can be traced back to the 13th century, when it first appeared as a locational name derived from the town of Günzburg, situated on the Günz River in the district of Günzburg, Bavaria.
The name itself is a combination of the German words "Gunz," referring to the river, and "burg," meaning a fortified town or castle. This suggests that the original bearers of the name may have hailed from or resided in the vicinity of the town of Günzburg, which was a significant settlement during the Middle Ages.
Historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries mention individuals bearing variations of the name, such as Gunzpurger, Guntzpurger, and Guntzburger, indicating its evolution over time. One notable early reference is found in the Bavarian State Archives, where a certain Conrad Gunzpurger is mentioned in a document dated 1382.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, as the surname became more widely dispersed, it took on different spellings and variations, including Guntzburg, Günzburg, and Gunzberg. An example of a notable bearer of the name from this period is Hans Guntzburg (c. 1525-1600), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg, known for his religious and allegorical works.
In the 18th century, the Gunzburg surname gained prominence with figures like Johann Christian Gunzburg (1722-1799), a German theologian and philosopher, and Johann Gottfried Gunzburg (1742-1818), a German poet and writer from Saxony.
As the name spread across Europe, it also found its way to other regions. One notable bearer was Baron Benjamin von Gunzburg (1812-1889), a Russian banker and philanthropist who was born in Odessa and made significant contributions to Jewish education and welfare in the Russian Empire.
Another prominent figure was Joseph Gunzburg (1812-1878), a Russian businessman and philanthropist who was a major supporter of Jewish causes and institutions. He was also a prominent art collector and patron of the arts.
The Gunzburg surname continues to be found in various parts of the world, with bearers contributing to various fields and professions. However, its rich history and origins remain firmly rooted in the German-speaking regions of Europe and the medieval town of Günzburg, from which the name derived its distinctive character.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gunzburg
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunzburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gunzburg 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 Gunzburg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.6% · 109
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gunzburg
Gunzburg 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
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+11 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,739 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 10,739 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 Gunzburg 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 | #157,234 | #146,495 | 6.8% |
| Count | 103 | 114 | 10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gunzburg bearers went from 103 to 114 (+10.7% change). The surname moved up 10,739 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #146,495.
FAQ
Gunzburg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gunzburg?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Gunzburg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Gunzburg?
Gunzburg ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Gunzburg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Gunzburg.
Has Gunzburg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gunzburg went from 103 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 11 (+10.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Gunzburg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunzburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Gunzburg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.6% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gunzburg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.6%), Black (1.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Gunzburg (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 Gunzburg mean?
A locational surname referring to the town of Gunzburg in Bavaria, Germany. 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 Gunzburg (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 Gunzburg?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.