2000
#11,696
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,457
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Munsey
Derived from a place name meaning "Munda's island" in Old English, likely referring to an ancestor's dwelling place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,556 Americans carry the last name Munsey. That puts it at #13,149 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 134,098 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Munsey 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 Munsey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 134,098
Census rank
#13,149
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,229 bearers of the surname Munsey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13149th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Munsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Munsey
The surname Munsey is of English origin, and it is believed to have emerged in the medieval period, likely derived from a place name or a topographical feature. One possibility is that it originated from the Old English word "mun," meaning "mountain" or "hill," combined with the word "ey," meaning "island" or "watery place." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a hill or an island in a watery area.
Another theory suggests that the name Munsey is a variant of the surname "Mundy," which itself is derived from the Old English personal name "Mund," meaning "hand" or "protection." This personal name was often used to denote someone who was a protector or a guardian.
The earliest known record of the Munsey surname dates back to the late 13th century, where it appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273 as "Mundes-eye." This entry suggests that the name was originally associated with a specific place, possibly a location called "Mundes-eye" or a similar variation.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, including "Mundeseye" and "Mundesheye," further reinforcing the idea that it was derived from a place name. These early spellings also hint at the potential association with a geographical feature, such as an island or a watery area.
One notable individual bearing the Munsey surname was William Munsey (c. 1530 – c. 1600), an English farmer and landowner from Berkshire. Records indicate that he owned substantial property and was considered a prominent figure in his local community.
In the 17th century, the surname Munsey appeared in the parish records of St. Giles in Northampton, England, where a Thomas Munsey was baptized in 1642. This suggests that the name had spread to different regions of England by that time.
Another individual of note was John Munsey (1685 – 1768), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire. He is recorded as having acquired significant estates and properties during his lifetime.
In the 18th century, the surname Munsey was found in various parts of England, including Suffolk, where a family of Munseys lived in the village of Boxford. One member of this family, Robert Munsey (1720 – 1795), was a respected farmer and landowner in the area.
Moving into the 19th century, the Munsey surname gained further prominence with the birth of Frank A. Munsey (1854 – 1925), an American publisher and businessman from Maine. He founded several successful magazines, including Munsey's Magazine, and became known as a pioneer in the magazine publishing industry.
Throughout its history, the surname Munsey has maintained its presence in various regions of England and has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States and Canada, where it has continued to be a distinctive family name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Munsey
Among Census respondents with the surname Munsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Munsey 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 Munsey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 2,059
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 74
- Two or more races2.6% · 59
- Black or African American0.9% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Munsey
Munsey 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
#12,399
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,507
+50 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 703 places
2020
#13,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,229
-278 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 750 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,696 | 2,457 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,399 | 2,507 | 0.85 | +50 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 703 places |
| 2020 | #13,149 | 2,229 | 0.75 | -278 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 750 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 Munsey 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 | #12,399 | #13,149 | -6.0% |
| Count | 2,507 | 2,229 | -11.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.75 | -12.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Munsey bearers went from 2,507 to 2,229 (-11.1% change). The surname moved down 750 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,399 to #13,149.
FAQ
Munsey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Munsey?
Name Census estimates that about 2,556 living Americans carry the surname Munsey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 134,098 residents.
How common is Munsey?
Munsey ranks #13,149 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,229 people with the surname Munsey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,556), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Munsey.
Has Munsey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Munsey went from 2,507 recorded bearers to 2,229. That is a decrease of 278 (-11.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,399 to #13,149.
What does the Census say about the background of Munsey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Munsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Munsey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (2,059 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Munsey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Munsey (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 Munsey mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Munda's island" in Old English, likely referring to an ancestor's dwelling place. 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 Munsey (0.75 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 Munsey?
Want to know how many people have the last name Munsey? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.