2000
#5,810
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,451
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.02
Rare Last name
Munger
An occupational surname for a seller or dealer of monger, derived from the Old English word "mangere."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,071 Americans carry the last name Munger. That puts it at #6,196 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,458 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Munger 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
6.1K
1 in 56,458
Census rank
#6,196
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,294 bearers of the surname Munger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6196th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Munger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Munger
The surname Munger has its origins in Germany and is believed to date back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "muniger," which means "monk" or "cleric." This suggests that the name may have been initially used to identify individuals who were associated with monastic institutions or the clergy.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Munger can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. In this document, a person named "Mungerus" is mentioned in a charter dated 1189.
As the name spread across various regions of Germany, it underwent several spelling variations, including Munger, Muenger, and Münger. These variations often reflected the local dialects and linguistic influences of the areas where the name was prominent.
Throughout history, the Munger surname has been associated with numerous notable individuals. One such figure was Johann Münger (1573-1630), a German theologian and Protestant reformer who played a significant role in the Reformation movement in the city of Nuremberg.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Johann Friedrich Münger (1755-1798), a German writer and philosopher who was known for his works on aesthetics and literary criticism. His influential book, "Über das Studium der Theorie des Geschmacks" (On the Study of the Theory of Taste), published in 1794, explored the relationship between art and human perception.
In the realm of science, Karl Münger (1805-1883) was a German botanist and physician who made significant contributions to the study of plant physiology and anatomy. He is particularly renowned for his research on the movement of sap in plants and the role of root pressure.
Moving to the 20th century, Hans Münger (1918-1995) was a prominent Swiss architect and urban planner. He was known for his innovative designs that emphasized functionality and sustainability, and his work had a significant impact on the architectural landscape of Switzerland.
Lastly, Wilhelm Münger (1835-1920) was a German-born American businessman and philanthropist. He made his fortune in the textile industry and later became a notable benefactor, supporting various educational and cultural institutions in his adopted city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
While the Munger surname may have originated in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including North America and other European countries, due to migration and cultural exchange. However, the name's roots can be traced back to its monastic and clerical origins in medieval Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Munger
Among Census respondents with the surname Munger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Munger 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 Munger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 4,816
- Two or more races3.8% · 201
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 145
- Black or African American1.3% · 68
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Munger
Munger 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
#6,079
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,639
+188 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.91
Rank movement Down 269 places
2020
#6,196
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,294
-345 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 1.77
Rank movement Down 117 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,810 | 5,451 | 2.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,079 | 5,639 | 1.91 | +188 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 269 places |
| 2020 | #6,196 | 5,294 | 1.77 | -345 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 117 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 Munger 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 | #6,079 | #6,196 | -1.9% |
| Count | 5,639 | 5,294 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.91 | 1.77 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Munger bearers went from 5,639 to 5,294 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 117 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,079 to #6,196.
FAQ
Munger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Munger?
Name Census estimates that about 6,071 living Americans carry the surname Munger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,458 residents.
How common is Munger?
Munger ranks #6,196 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.77 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 5,294 people with the surname Munger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,071), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.77 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 Munger.
Has Munger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Munger went from 5,639 recorded bearers to 5,294. That is a decrease of 345 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,079 to #6,196.
What does the Census say about the background of Munger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Munger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Munger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (4,816 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Munger 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 (3.8%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Munger (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 Munger mean?
An occupational surname for a seller or dealer of monger, derived from the Old English word "mangere." 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 Munger (1.77 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 Munger?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.