2000
#11,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,627
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Mundell
A Scottish locational surname derived from a place in Kinross-shire, likely meaning "moor hill" or "bare hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,960 Americans carry the last name Mundell. That puts it at #11,634 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,795 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mundell 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 Mundell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 115,795
Census rank
#11,634
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,581 bearers of the surname Mundell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11634th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mundell, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mundell
The surname Mundell has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "mund" meaning "protection" and "hyll" meaning "hill", suggesting it may have referred to someone living near a protected hill or elevated area.
Early variations of the spelling included Mundhille, Mundehille, and Mundhill. One of the earliest known references to the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1165, where a Robert de Mundhille is mentioned.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where a Thomas de Mundhull is recorded. This suggests the name may have originated in or been associated with the county of Oxfordshire.
The Mundell surname is also found in Scotland, where it is believed to have been introduced by English settlers. One of the earliest recorded instances is from the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1456, which mentions a John Mundwell.
Notable individuals with the surname Mundell throughout history include:
1. Robert Mundell (1932-2021), Canadian economist and professor at Columbia University, who received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1999 for his pioneering work on currency areas and exchange rate regimes.
2. Ezekiel Mundell (1766-1850), American farmer and politician from Pennsylvania, who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1833 to 1837.
3. William Mundell (1835-1886), English-born Australian politician and member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1877 to 1886.
4. Walter Mundell (1585-1653), Scottish clergyman and theologian, known for his work "A Vindication of the Scottish Church".
5. John Mundell (1797-1857), Scottish-born American businessman and banker, who founded the Mundell & Co. bank in New York City in the early 19th century.
While the surname Mundell is not one of the most common in England or Scotland, it has a rich history dating back to medieval times, and has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including economics, politics, religion, and business.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mundell
Among Census respondents with the surname Mundell, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Mundell 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 Mundell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.3% · 2,125
- Black or African American8.6% · 221
- Two or more races4.7% · 122
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 92
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mundell
Mundell 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
#11,543
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,723
+96 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 448 places
2020
#11,634
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,581
-142 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 91 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,095 | 2,627 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,543 | 2,723 | 0.92 | +96 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 448 places |
| 2020 | #11,634 | 2,581 | 0.86 | -142 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 91 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 Mundell 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 | #11,543 | #11,634 | -0.8% |
| Count | 2,723 | 2,581 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.86 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mundell bearers went from 2,723 to 2,581 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 91 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,543 to #11,634.
FAQ
Mundell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mundell?
Name Census estimates that about 2,960 living Americans carry the surname Mundell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,795 residents.
How common is Mundell?
Mundell ranks #11,634 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,581 people with the surname Mundell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,960), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Mundell.
Has Mundell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mundell went from 2,723 recorded bearers to 2,581. That is a decrease of 142 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,543 to #11,634.
What does the Census say about the background of Mundell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mundell, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Mundell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.3% (2,125 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mundell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.3%), Black (8.6%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Mundell (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 Mundell mean?
A Scottish locational surname derived from a place in Kinross-shire, likely meaning "moor hill" or "bare hill." 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 Mundell (0.86 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 common is the surname Mundell?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Mundell at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.