2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lunin
A surname derived from the Russian word "luna" meaning "moon".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Lunin. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lunin 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Lunin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lunin, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lunin
The surname Lunin is believed to have originated in Russia during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Russian word "luna," meaning "moon," and was likely given as a descriptive name to someone who worked at night or had a pale complexion reminiscent of the moon.
The earliest recorded instances of the Lunin surname can be found in medieval Russian census records and tax rolls from the 15th and 16th centuries. Many of these early records show the name spelled slightly differently, such as "Lunin" or "Lunev," reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.
One notable historical figure bearing the Lunin surname was Ivan Lunin, a Russian military officer and Decembrist revolutionary who lived from 1788 to 1853. He participated in the Decembrist Revolt against Tsar Nicholas I in 1825 and was subsequently exiled to Siberia for his involvement.
Another prominent individual with the Lunin surname was Mikhail Lunin, a Russian astronomer and mathematician who lived from 1787 to 1845. He is known for his work in celestial mechanics and for calculating the orbit of Halley's Comet.
In the realm of literature, the Russian writer and playwright Viktor Lunin (1901-1967) is notable for his works exploring themes of social injustice and the lives of ordinary people in the Soviet Union.
Moving to the world of sports, Evgeny Lunin (born 1991) is a Russian professional football goalkeeper who currently plays for Real Madrid's reserve team, Real Madrid Castilla.
Finally, a more recent figure with the Lunin surname is Andrei Lunin, a Russian space engineer and cosmonaut who was born in 1984 and has participated in several missions to the International Space Station.
While the Lunin surname may have humble origins as a descriptive name, it has been borne by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields throughout history, from military and science to literature and space exploration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lunin
Among Census respondents with the surname Lunin, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lunin 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 Lunin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lunin
Lunin 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
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,879 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 1,879 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 Lunin 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 | #143,149 | #145,028 | -1.3% |
| Count | 116 | 116 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lunin bearers went from 116 to 116 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 1,879 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #145,028.
FAQ
Lunin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lunin?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Lunin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Lunin?
Lunin ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Lunin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Lunin.
Has Lunin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lunin went from 116 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Lunin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lunin, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Lunin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lunin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (4.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Lunin (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 Lunin mean?
A surname derived from the Russian word "luna" meaning "moon". 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 Lunin (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 have the surname Lunin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.