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

Shunn, 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 Shunn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shunn in America

Shunn is the 123064th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shunn surname appeared 140 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Shunn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shunn 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 Shunn

The surname Shunn is believed to have originated in England, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from an Old English word "scunung," which means "avoidance" or "shunning." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived in isolation or was an outcast from society.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shunn appears in the parish records of St. Giles in Cripplegate, London, in the year 1567. The entry mentions a Thomas Shunn, who was likely born in the latter half of the 16th century. Around the same time, variations of the name, such as Shunne and Shun, were also found in various parts of England.

In the 17th century, the Shunn surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. The Hearth Tax Rolls of 1674 list several individuals with the name Shunn residing in these areas. One notable example is John Shunn, who was born in Aylsham, Norfolk, in 1632 and later became a prominent merchant in the city of Norwich.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Shunn. However, it does mention several place names that may have influenced the development of the name, such as Shun in Bedfordshire and Shun Hill in Dorset.

Throughout the centuries, there have been several notable individuals bearing the surname Shunn. In the 18th century, Samuel Shunn (1720-1792) was a renowned clockmaker from Woodbridge, Suffolk, whose clocks are now highly sought after by collectors. Another notable figure was William Shunn (1782-1865), an English surveyor and cartographer who produced some of the earliest detailed maps of the Australian state of Tasmania.

In the 19th century, James Shunn (1823-1897) was a prominent businessman and philanthropist from Manchester, England, who made significant contributions to the development of the city's infrastructure and public works. Emily Shunn (1856-1932), on the other hand, was a celebrated writer and poet from London, known for her lyrical works that explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition.

More recently, in the 20th century, the name Shunn was carried by notable individuals such as Sir Alfred Shunn (1901-1987), a British diplomat who served as the Ambassador to France from 1955 to 1960, and Dr. Margaret Shunn (1915-2003), a pioneering medical researcher who made significant contributions to the field of genetics and inherited diseases.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shunn

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

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 Shunn 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 Shunn 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 Shunn was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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