2000
#54,880
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 351
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Junger
A German surname potentially derived from the word 'junger' meaning 'young person'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 469 Americans carry the last name Junger. That puts it at #54,407 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 730,819 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Junger 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
469
1 in 730,819
Census rank
#54,407
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
409
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 409 bearers of the surname Junger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 54407th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Junger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Junger
The surname JUNGER originated in Germany during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Middle High German word "junc", meaning young or junior. The name likely referred to the younger son of a family to distinguish him from his elder siblings.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the JUNGER surname can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, dating back to 1387. Here, a certain Hans Junger is mentioned as a citizen of the town.
In the 15th century, the JUNGER surname began appearing in various regions of present-day Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. Some variations in spelling, such as Juncker and Jüngere, were also common during this time.
A notable historical figure bearing the JUNGER surname was Johann Junger, a Protestant reformer and theologian who lived from 1506 to 1585. He played a significant role in the Reformation movement in Germany.
Another individual of historical importance was Friedrich Junger, a German military engineer and architect who lived from 1668 to 1741. He is credited with designing several fortifications and military structures in Prussia.
In the 19th century, the JUNGER surname gained prominence with the birth of Ernst Junger in 1895. He was a highly influential German writer, philosopher, and World War I veteran, known for his seminal work "Storm of Steel". Junger passed away in 1998 at the age of 102.
Another famous bearer of the JUNGER name was Wolfgang Junger, a German-born American author and journalist, best known for his book "The Perfect Storm". He was born in 1939 and died in 2015.
Lastly, Sebastian Junger is a contemporary American author, journalist, and filmmaker, born in 1962. He gained widespread recognition for his book "The Perfect Storm" and his work covering the war in Afghanistan.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Junger
Among Census respondents with the surname Junger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Junger 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 Junger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 374
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 18
- Two or more races1.7% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 6
- Black or African American0.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Junger
Junger 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
#61,585
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 326
-25 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 6,705 places
2020
#54,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 409
+83 bearers (+25.5%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Up 7,178 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #54,880 | 351 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #61,585 | 326 | 0.11 | -25 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 6,705 places |
| 2020 | #54,407 | 409 | 0.14 | +83 bearers (+25.5%) | Up 7,178 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 Junger 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 | #61,585 | #54,407 | 11.7% |
| Count | 326 | 409 | 25.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.14 | 24.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Junger bearers went from 326 to 409 (+25.5% change). The surname moved up 7,178 positions in the national ranking, going from #61,585 to #54,407.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Junger
FAQ
Junger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Junger?
Name Census estimates that about 469 living Americans carry the surname Junger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 730,819 residents.
How common is Junger?
Junger ranks #54,407 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 409 people with the surname Junger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (469), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Junger.
Has Junger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Junger went from 326 recorded bearers to 409. That is an increase of 83 (+25.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #61,585 to #54,407.
What does the Census say about the background of Junger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Junger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Junger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (374 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Junger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Junger (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 Junger mean?
A German surname potentially derived from the word 'junger' meaning 'young person'. 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 Junger (0.14 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 Junger?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Junger on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.