2000
#9,630
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,097
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Runion
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements "hrod," meaning "fame," and "wald," meaning "rule."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,381 Americans carry the last name Runion. That puts it at #10,401 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,377 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Runion 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
3.4K
1 in 101,377
Census rank
#10,401
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,948 bearers of the surname Runion in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10401st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Runion, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Runion
The surname Runion has its origins in the Anglo-Saxon period of English history, believed to have emerged in the region of Lincolnshire, England. It is thought to derive from the Old English word "rún," meaning "rune" or "secret," suggesting a possible connection to early runic inscriptions or individuals involved in their creation or interpretation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Runion can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Runion" in the county of Lincolnshire. This historical record provides evidence of the name's existence and usage during the Norman conquest of England.
In the 13th century, variations of the name began to appear in various historical records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is documented as "Runyon." This spelling variation likely emerged due to regional dialect and pronunciation differences.
One notable bearer of the Runion name was Sir John Runion, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in the 14th century. He is mentioned in the Feet of Fines for the county of Lincolnshire in 1327, documenting his acquisition of land and property.
Another historical figure with the Runion surname was William Runion, a merchant and trader who resided in the city of Bristol, England, during the 16th century. Records from the Bristol Port Books of 1542 detail his involvement in the import and export of various goods.
In the 17th century, the surname Runion can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Nottingham, where the baptism of John Runion, son of Richard and Elizabeth Runion, is recorded in 1632. This entry provides insight into the spread and usage of the name across different regions of England.
Another notable bearer of the Runion name was Thomas Runion, a poet and playwright who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. His works, including the play "The Amorous Prince" and a collection of poems titled "Poetic Musings," were published in London in the early 1700s.
As the centuries progressed, the Runion surname continued to spread across various regions of England and eventually to other parts of the world, carried by individuals and families who emigrated from their ancestral homelands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Runion
Among Census respondents with the surname Runion, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Runion 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 Runion surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 2,727
- Two or more races3.8% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 65
- Black or African American0.7% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Runion
Runion 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
#10,219
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,154
+57 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 589 places
2020
#10,401
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,948
-206 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 182 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,630 | 3,097 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,219 | 3,154 | 1.07 | +57 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 589 places |
| 2020 | #10,401 | 2,948 | 0.99 | -206 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 182 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 Runion 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 | #10,219 | #10,401 | -1.8% |
| Count | 3,154 | 2,948 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 0.99 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Runion bearers went from 3,154 to 2,948 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 182 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,219 to #10,401.
FAQ
Runion surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Runion?
Name Census estimates that about 3,381 living Americans carry the surname Runion. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,377 residents.
How common is Runion?
Runion ranks #10,401 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 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 2,948 people with the surname Runion. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,381), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 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 Runion.
Has Runion become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Runion went from 3,154 recorded bearers to 2,948. That is a decrease of 206 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,219 to #10,401.
What does the Census say about the background of Runion?
Among Census respondents with the surname Runion, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Runion in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (2,727 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Runion appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Runion (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 Runion mean?
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements "hrod," meaning "fame," and "wald," meaning "rule." 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 Runion (0.99 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 are called Runion?
Want to know how many people have the surname Runion? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.