Find out how popular the last name Junk is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Junk.

Junk, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Junk surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Junk in America

Junk is the 22856th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Junk surname appeared 1,120 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Junk.

We can also compare 2010 data for Junk to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Junk

The surname JUNK is believed to have originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Middle High German word "junc," meaning "young" or "young man." This word eventually evolved into the German word "jung," which has the same meaning.

In the early 1500s, the surname JUNK was recorded in various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. It is possible that the name was initially used as a nickname or descriptive term for a young person or a person who appeared youthful.

One of the earliest known references to the surname JUNK can be found in the church records of the town of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans JUNK was mentioned in 1557. Another early record dates back to 1601, which lists a Jakob JUNK as a resident of the village of Mittweida in Saxony.

Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname JUNK appeared in various documents and records across Germany. In 1673, a Johann JUNK was recorded as a citizen of the city of Leipzig. A few decades later, in 1711, a Friedrich JUNK was mentioned in the tax records of the town of Freiburg.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname JUNK was Johann Christoph JUNK (1737-1816), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Giessen. Another notable bearer of the name was Johann Friedrich JUNK (1797-1858), a German botanist and plant collector who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy.

In the 19th century, the surname JUNK continued to be prevalent in Germany, with several individuals bearing the name making noteworthy contributions. One such person was Georg Wilhelm JUNK (1828-1907), a German publisher and bookseller who specialized in scientific literature. He founded the renowned publishing house Georg Wilhelm JUNK Verlag in Berlin.

Another notable individual with the surname JUNK was Wilhelm JUNK (1866-1942), a German entomologist and lepidopterist who made significant contributions to the study of butterflies and moths. He published numerous works on these insects and was a respected authority in his field.

It is worth noting that the surname JUNK has also been found in other parts of Europe, such as the Netherlands and Austria, likely due to migration patterns and intermarriage among German-speaking populations. However, its origins can be traced back to Germany, where it has a long and well-documented history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Junk

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Junk.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Junk was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Junk has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Junk was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Junk, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!