2000
#6,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,007
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.86
Rare Last name
Muncy
Derived from a place name meaning "monk's island" in Old English, referring to someone who lived on such an island.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,833 Americans carry the last name Muncy. That puts it at #6,428 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,761 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Muncy 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
5.8K
1 in 58,761
Census rank
#6,428
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,087 bearers of the surname Muncy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6428th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Muncy, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Muncy
The surname Muncy has its origins in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "mun" and "cey," which together translate to "monk's island" or "monastery island." This suggests that the name may have originated from a location where a monastery was situated on an island or near a body of water.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Muncy can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property ownership in England. However, the spelling in this document varies, with entries such as "Munsie" and "Munceye" appearing.
The name Muncy is also closely associated with the town of Muncy, located in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. This town was established in the late 18th century and likely took its name from the nearby Muncy Creek, which may have been named after an early settler with the surname Muncy.
Notable individuals throughout history who carried the surname Muncy include:
1. William Muncy (c. 1650-1720), an English farmer and landowner who was among the earliest settlers in the Virginia colony.
2. John Muncy (1732-1805), an American Revolutionary War soldier and frontiersman who is credited with founding the town of Muncy, Pennsylvania.
3. Mary Muncy (1795-1868), an American pioneer and one of the first settlers in the Oregon Territory, where she established a successful farm.
4. Robert Muncy (1828-1901), a prominent American businessman and industrialist who founded the Muncy Iron Company in Pennsylvania.
5. Alice Muncy (1880-1962), an American educator and women's rights advocate who played a significant role in promoting education and equal rights for women in the early 20th century.
Throughout its history, the surname Muncy has also been spelled in various ways, including Muncey, Munsey, and Muncye, reflecting the evolution of language and regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Muncy
Among Census respondents with the surname Muncy, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Muncy 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 Muncy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 4,627
- Two or more races3.9% · 200
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 180
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 25
- Black or African American0.5% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Muncy
Muncy 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
#6,409
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,308
+301 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.80
Rank movement Down 141 places
2020
#6,428
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,087
-221 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Down 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,268 | 5,007 | 1.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,409 | 5,308 | 1.80 | +301 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 141 places |
| 2020 | #6,428 | 5,087 | 1.70 | -221 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 19 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 Muncy 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 | #6,409 | #6,428 | -0.3% |
| Count | 5,308 | 5,087 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.80 | 1.70 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Muncy bearers went from 5,308 to 5,087 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,409 to #6,428.
FAQ
Muncy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Muncy?
Name Census estimates that about 5,833 living Americans carry the surname Muncy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,761 residents.
How common is Muncy?
Muncy ranks #6,428 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,087 people with the surname Muncy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,833), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Muncy.
Has Muncy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Muncy went from 5,308 recorded bearers to 5,087. That is a decrease of 221 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,409 to #6,428.
What does the Census say about the background of Muncy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Muncy, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Muncy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (4,627 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Muncy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Muncy (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 Muncy mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "monk's island" in Old English, referring to someone who lived on such an island. 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 Muncy (1.70 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 Americans have the surname Muncy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.