2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Munko
A surname likely of Slavic origin, possibly derived from a nickname or personal name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Munko. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Munko 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Munko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Munko, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Munko
The surname MUNKO is believed to have originated in Germany during the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "munk," which referred to a monk or a member of a religious order. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a monastery or had some association with a religious order.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MUNKO can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the Duchy of Saxony, dated around 1280. The name appears as "Munko von Meinersen," which translates to "Munko of Meinersen," a town located in Lower Saxony, Germany.
In the 14th century, the name MUNKO appeared in several other historical records, including the Liber Censuum, a manuscript containing tax records from the Archdiocese of Cologne. One notable entry from this document is "Johannes Munko de Wesel," which refers to a person named Johannes MUNKO from the town of Wesel, located in present-day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
During the late 15th century, a man named Hans MUNKO (c. 1460-1525) was a prominent merchant and banker in the city of Nuremberg, Germany. He was known for his successful trading ventures and his involvement in the local guild system.
In the 16th century, the name MUNKO can be found in the records of the University of Heidelberg, where a scholar named Johann MUNKO (1525-1589) served as a professor of theology and later became the rector of the university.
Another notable figure with the surname MUNKO was Christoph MUNKO (1570-1638), a German composer and organist who worked in various churches and courts across Germany during the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
While the surname MUNKO is relatively uncommon today, it continues to be associated with its German origins and the historical connections to religious orders, scholarly pursuits, and artistic endeavors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Munko
Among Census respondents with the surname Munko, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Munko 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 Munko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 106
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 4
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Munko
Munko 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
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 758 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 758 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 Munko 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 | #147,253 | #146,495 | 0.5% |
| Count | 112 | 114 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Munko bearers went from 112 to 114 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 758 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #146,495.
FAQ
Munko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Munko?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Munko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Munko?
Munko ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Munko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Munko.
Has Munko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Munko went from 112 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 2 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Munko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Munko, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Munko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Munko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%), Black (1.8%). 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 Munko (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 Munko mean?
A surname likely of Slavic origin, possibly derived from a nickname or personal name. 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 Munko (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 share the surname Munko?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.