2000
#3,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,666
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.21
Rare Last name
Munn
An English toponymic surname derived from the Old English word "munn," meaning a man or person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,582 Americans carry the last name Munn. That puts it at #4,124 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,771 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Munn 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 Munn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.6K
1 in 35,771
Census rank
#4,124
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,356 bearers of the surname Munn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4124th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Munn, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Munn
The surname MUNN is of English origin, derived from an Old English word meaning "man" or "person." It is believed to have originated in the counties of Yorkshire and Northumberland during the 7th or 8th century.
The name likely evolved as a nickname or occupational descriptor for a male individual, distinguishing them from others in their community. Over time, this nickname became a hereditary surname passed down through generations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MUNN surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled as "Mun" or "Mune." This historical record provides evidence of the name's existence in medieval England.
In the 13th century, the MUNN surname appeared in various forms, including "Munne" and "Monne," reflecting the regional dialects and spelling variations of the time. These variations continued until the 16th century when the spelling stabilized to its modern form.
Notable individuals bearing the MUNN surname throughout history include:
1. John Munn (1566-1630), an English composer and organist during the Renaissance period.
2. Thomas Munn (1735-1811), a British mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
3. Louisa Munn (1828-1905), an American writer and abolitionist who actively campaigned against slavery in the United States.
4. Paul Sidney Munn (1892-1935), a Canadian soldier and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration for valor awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
5. Katharine Munn (1887-1974), an American professor of English literature and an influential figure in the field of higher education.
Throughout its history, the MUNN surname has been associated with various locations and place names, such as Munn's Brook in Newfoundland, Canada, and Munn Fell in Cumbria, England, further solidifying its roots in the English-speaking world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Munn
Among Census respondents with the surname Munn, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Munn 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 Munn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.0% · 6,684
- Black or African American12.1% · 1,014
- Two or more races3.5% · 293
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 279
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 64
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Munn
Munn 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
#4,056
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,751
+85 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 2.97
Rank movement Down 301 places
2020
#4,124
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,356
-395 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 2.80
Rank movement Down 68 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,755 | 8,666 | 3.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,056 | 8,751 | 2.97 | +85 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 301 places |
| 2020 | #4,124 | 8,356 | 2.80 | -395 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 68 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 Munn 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 | #4,056 | #4,124 | -1.7% |
| Count | 8,751 | 8,356 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.97 | 2.80 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Munn bearers went from 8,751 to 8,356 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 68 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,056 to #4,124.
FAQ
Munn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Munn?
Name Census estimates that about 9,582 living Americans carry the surname Munn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,771 residents.
How common is Munn?
Munn ranks #4,124 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,356 people with the surname Munn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,582), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Munn.
Has Munn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Munn went from 8,751 recorded bearers to 8,356. That is a decrease of 395 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,056 to #4,124.
What does the Census say about the background of Munn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Munn, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Two or More Races (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 Munn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (6,684 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Munn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.0%), Black (12.1%), Two or More Races (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 Munn (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 Munn mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from the Old English word "munn," meaning a man or person. 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 Munn (2.80 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 Munn?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.