2000
#1,896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,395
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.45
Uncommon Last name
Jung
A Korean surname derived from the Chinese character meaning "bell," "clock," or "gong."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 28,990 Americans carry the last name Jung. That puts it at #1,374 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,823 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jung 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 Jung with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
29K
1 in 11,823
Census rank
#1,374
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 25,281 bearers of the surname Jung in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1374th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jung, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 68.9%. The next largest groups are White (25.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jung
The surname Jung originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "junc," meaning "young" or "youthful." It was likely initially used as a descriptive nickname or byname for a young man or the youngest son in a family.
In the 12th century, the surname Jung appeared in various Germanic regions, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. Early spellings of the name included Junge, Jungen, and Junger, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Jung can be found in the Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium, a medieval cartulary from the Benedictine abbey of Corvey in present-day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. This document, dating back to the 9th century, mentions an individual named Hunric Iunc.
The Bavorarian Codex, a collection of legal texts from the 13th century, also contains references to individuals with the surname Jung, indicating its widespread use across Germanic regions during the Middle Ages.
Notable individuals with the surname Jung throughout history include:
1. Philipp Jung (1642-1707), a German Lutheran theologian and philosopher who was a professor at the University of Leipzig.
2. Johann Heinrich Jung (1671-1720), a Swiss mathematician and physicist who contributed to the development of calculus.
3. Johann Jung-Stilling (1740-1817), a German writer, philosopher, and eye surgeon, known for his autobiographical work "Lebensgeschichte."
4. Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961), a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, the founder of analytical psychology and one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century.
5. Edgar Jung (1894-1934), a German poet and playwright associated with the Expressionist movement.
Over the centuries, the surname Jung has been found in various place names and geographical locations across Germany, such as Jungingen, Jungholz, and Jungviertel, reflecting the widespread distribution of the name throughout the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jung
Among Census respondents with the surname Jung, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 68.9%. The next largest groups are White (25.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Jung 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 Jung surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander68.9% · 17,427
- White25.5% · 6,457
- Two or more races2.8% · 707
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 486
- Black or African American0.7% · 167
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 37
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jung
Jung 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
#1,486
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,026
+6,631 bearers (+38.1%)
Per 100,000 8.14
Rank movement Up 410 places
2020
#1,374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,281
+1,255 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 8.46
Rank movement Up 112 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,896 | 17,395 | 6.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,486 | 24,026 | 8.14 | +6,631 bearers (+38.1%) | Up 410 places |
| 2020 | #1,374 | 25,281 | 8.46 | +1,255 bearers (+5.2%) | Up 112 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 Jung 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 | #1,486 | #1,374 | 7.5% |
| Count | 24,026 | 25,281 | 5.2% |
| Per 100K | 8.14 | 8.46 | 3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jung bearers went from 24,026 to 25,281 (+5.2% change). The surname moved up 112 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,486 to #1,374.
FAQ
Jung surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jung?
Name Census estimates that about 28,990 living Americans carry the surname Jung. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,823 residents.
How common is Jung?
Jung ranks #1,374 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.46 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 25,281 people with the surname Jung. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (28,990), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.46 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 Jung.
Has Jung become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jung went from 24,026 recorded bearers to 25,281. That is an increase of 1,255 (+5.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,486 to #1,374.
What does the Census say about the background of Jung?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jung, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 68.9%. The next largest groups are White (25.5%) 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jung in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.9% (17,427 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jung appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (68.9%), White (25.5%), 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 Jung (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 Jung mean?
A Korean surname derived from the Chinese character meaning "bell," "clock," or "gong." 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 Jung (8.46 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 surname Jung?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.