2000
#1,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,345
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.43
Uncommon Last name
Munson
Derived from the Old Norse personal name Magnússon, meaning "son of Magnus."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,111 Americans carry the last name Munson. That puts it at #2,112 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,935 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Munson 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 Munson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 17,935
Census rank
#2,112
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,666 bearers of the surname Munson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2112th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Munson, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Munson
Among Census respondents with the surname Munson, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Munson 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 Munson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.1% · 14,182
- Black or African American6.5% · 1,090
- Two or more races3.6% · 605
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 513
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 161
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 115
Timeline
Historical Census data for Munson
Munson 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
#2,030
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,745
+400 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 6.02
Rank movement Down 128 places
2020
#2,112
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,666
-1,079 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 5.58
Rank movement Down 82 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,902 | 17,345 | 6.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,030 | 17,745 | 6.02 | +400 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 128 places |
| 2020 | #2,112 | 16,666 | 5.58 | -1,079 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 82 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 Munson 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 | #2,030 | #2,112 | -4.0% |
| Count | 17,745 | 16,666 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 6.02 | 5.58 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Munson bearers went from 17,745 to 16,666 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 82 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,030 to #2,112.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Munson
FAQ
Munson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Munson?
Name Census estimates that about 19,111 living Americans carry the surname Munson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,935 residents.
How common is Munson?
Munson ranks #2,112 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,666 people with the surname Munson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,111), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Munson.
Has Munson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Munson went from 17,745 recorded bearers to 16,666. That is a decrease of 1,079 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,030 to #2,112.
What does the Census say about the background of Munson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Munson, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Munson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.1% (14,182 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Munson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.1%), Black (6.5%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Munson (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 Munson mean?
Derived from the Old Norse personal name Magnússon, meaning "son of Magnus." 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 Munson (5.58 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 Munson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.