2000
#13,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,986
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Junior
A surname indicating that the bearer is younger than an older relative with the same given name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,585 Americans carry the last name Junior. That puts it at #9,871 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 95,608 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Junior 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 Junior with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 95,608
Census rank
#9,871
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,126 bearers of the surname Junior in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9871st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Junior, the largest self-reported group is Black at 43.1%. The next largest groups are White (36.2%) and Hispanic (13.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Junior
The surname JUNIOR is an English surname derived from the Latin word "iunior" meaning "younger" or "junior". It originated as a descriptive name used to distinguish between two people with the same given name, typically a father and son or an older and younger relative.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname JUNIOR can be traced back to the 13th century in England. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William le Junur, mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. The spelling variations during this period included Junur, Junyor, and Juniur.
In the 14th century, the surname JUNIOR appeared in various historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a John le Junyor was listed. The name was also found in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379, with the spelling Junyour.
The JUNIOR surname was not limited to England; it also had a presence in Scotland. One notable bearer of the name was William Junyor, a Scottish merchant who lived in the 15th century and was mentioned in the records of the burgh of Aberdeen in 1438.
Among the notable historical figures with the surname JUNIOR was Sir Thomas Junior (c. 1510-1564), an English politician and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent individual was William Junior (1633-1689), an English Puritan minister and author who served as a chaplain to Oliver Cromwell.
In the 17th century, the JUNIOR surname was found in various parts of England, including Gloucestershire, where a John Junior was recorded in the Hearth Tax Returns of 1672. The name was also present in Oxfordshire, as evidenced by the baptismal record of Mary Junior in the parish of Standlake in 1688.
As the surname JUNIOR spread across different regions, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Junyor, Junier, and Juniour. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and the preferences of record keepers at the time.
Throughout its history, the JUNIOR surname has been associated with various professions and social classes, from merchants and politicians to clergymen and landowners. While not as prevalent as some other surnames, it has left its mark on the historical records of England and Scotland, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of those who bore this distinctive name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Junior
Among Census respondents with the surname Junior, the largest self-reported group is Black at 43.1%. The next largest groups are White (36.2%) and Hispanic (13.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Junior 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 Junior surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American43.1% · 1,347
- White36.2% · 1,132
- Hispanic or Latino13.9% · 433
- Two or more races3.5% · 110
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 76
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Junior
Junior 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
#14,038
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,146
+160 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 107 places
2020
#9,871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,126
+980 bearers (+45.7%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Up 4,167 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,931 | 1,986 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,038 | 2,146 | 0.73 | +160 bearers (+8.1%) | Down 107 places |
| 2020 | #9,871 | 3,126 | 1.05 | +980 bearers (+45.7%) | Up 4,167 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 Junior 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 | #14,038 | #9,871 | 29.7% |
| Count | 2,146 | 3,126 | 45.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 1.05 | 43.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Junior bearers went from 2,146 to 3,126 (+45.7% change). The surname moved up 4,167 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,038 to #9,871.
FAQ
Junior surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Junior?
Name Census estimates that about 3,585 living Americans carry the surname Junior. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 95,608 residents.
How common is Junior?
Junior ranks #9,871 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,126 people with the surname Junior. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,585), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Junior.
Has Junior become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Junior went from 2,146 recorded bearers to 3,126. That is an increase of 980 (+45.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,038 to #9,871.
What does the Census say about the background of Junior?
Among Census respondents with the surname Junior, the largest self-reported group is Black at 43.1%. The next largest groups are White (36.2%) and Hispanic (13.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Junior in the 2020 Census, accounting for 43.1% (1,347 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Junior appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (43.1%), White (36.2%), Hispanic (13.9%). 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 Junior (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 Junior mean?
A surname indicating that the bearer is younger than an older relative with the same given 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 Junior (1.05 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 Junior?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Junior at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.