Find out how popular the last name Munson is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Munson.

Munson, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Munson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Munson in America

Munson is the 2030th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Munson surname appeared 17,745 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Munson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Munson to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Munson

The surname Munson has its roots in the Old English language and is derived from the words "mun" meaning "man" and "sunu" meaning "son". This suggests that the name originally referred to someone's son. The name is believed to have originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, sometime between the 5th and 11th centuries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Munson can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Munessune" in records from the county of Yorkshire.

In the 13th century, the name was also recorded in various forms such as "Munessone" and "Munsone" in medieval charters and legal documents from various regions of England.

The Munson surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir John Munson (c. 1330-1390), a prominent English landowner and military commander who served in the Hundred Years' War under King Edward III.

Another notable bearer of the name was Robert Munson (1541-1612), an English Puritan clergyman who played a significant role in the early years of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in America. He served as one of the first ministers of the First Church in New Haven, Connecticut.

In the 17th century, the Munson surname was also found in various place names, such as Munson's Hill in Virginia, which was named after a settler named Thomas Munson.

During the 18th century, Lester Munson (1712-1788), an American Revolutionary War soldier and early settler in Vermont, contributed to the establishment of the town of Munson in that state.

Another notable figure was Benjamin Munson (1822-1887), an American physician and politician who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and the Wisconsin State Senate in the mid-19th century.

Over the centuries, the Munson surname has been associated with various occupations and fields, including agriculture, military service, religion, politics, and medicine, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who have borne this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Munson

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Munson.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Munson was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Munson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Munson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Munson, please contact us.

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