2000
#7,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,177
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.55
Rare Last name
Lunn
A habitational surname derived from places named Lund, referring to a grove or small wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,738 Americans carry the last name Lunn. That puts it at #7,723 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,342 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lunn 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 Lunn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 72,342
Census rank
#7,723
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,132 bearers of the surname Lunn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7723rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lunn, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lunn
The surname Lunn is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English words "lunr" or "lun", which referred to a grove or small wood. It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, given to someone who lived near a small wooded area.
The surname Lunn can be traced back to the 11th century in England, with records showing variations such as Lun, Lune, and Lun(n)e in the Domesday Book of 1086. This comprehensive survey of land and property ownership in England provides some of the earliest documented instances of the surname.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Willelmus de Lun, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166. Another early reference is found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1273, which listed a Hugo de Lune.
The Lunn surname has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Lunn in Norfolk and Lund in Yorkshire. These place names likely derived from the same Old English roots as the surname, further reinforcing the connection between the name and wooded areas.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Lunn surname. One such person was Sir John Lunn (1598-1677), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Middlesex during the English Civil War. Another was Thomas Lunn (1759-1837), an English writer and naturalist known for his works on botany and natural history.
Other prominent figures with the Lunn surname include:
1. Arnold Lunn (1888-1974), an English skier and writer who helped popularize skiing as a sport in Britain.
2. Katharine Lunn (1903-1988), an American writer and illustrator of children's books.
3. John Lunn (born 1956), an English composer known for his work on television series such as Downton Abbey and The Last Kingdom.
4. Hugh Lunn (1939-2018), an Australian writer and journalist who authored several books about Australian culture and history.
5. George Lunn (1780-1856), an English engineer and inventor who patented improvements to the steam engine and other machines.
Lunn is a surname that has endured for centuries, with its origins rooted in the landscapes and topography of early England. While it has spread across various regions and countries, it remains a testament to the rich linguistic and cultural heritage of the Anglo-Saxon people.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lunn
Among Census respondents with the surname Lunn, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Lunn 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 Lunn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.0% · 3,307
- Black or African American9.7% · 401
- Two or more races4.2% · 173
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 168
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 72
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lunn
Lunn 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
#7,189
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,650
+473 bearers (+11.3%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Up 158 places
2020
#7,723
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,132
-518 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 534 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,347 | 4,177 | 1.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,189 | 4,650 | 1.58 | +473 bearers (+11.3%) | Up 158 places |
| 2020 | #7,723 | 4,132 | 1.38 | -518 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 534 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 Lunn 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 | #7,189 | #7,723 | -7.4% |
| Count | 4,650 | 4,132 | -11.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.58 | 1.38 | -12.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lunn bearers went from 4,650 to 4,132 (-11.1% change). The surname moved down 534 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,189 to #7,723.
FAQ
Lunn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lunn?
Name Census estimates that about 4,738 living Americans carry the surname Lunn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,342 residents.
How common is Lunn?
Lunn ranks #7,723 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.38 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 4,132 people with the surname Lunn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,738), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.38 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 Lunn.
Has Lunn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lunn went from 4,650 recorded bearers to 4,132. That is a decrease of 518 (-11.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,189 to #7,723.
What does the Census say about the background of Lunn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lunn, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Lunn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (3,307 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lunn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.0%), Black (9.7%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Lunn (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 Lunn mean?
A habitational surname derived from places named Lund, referring to a grove or small wood. 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 Lunn (1.38 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 Lunn?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Lunn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.