2000
#4,241
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,730
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.87
Rare Last name
Strunk
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "strunc," meaning a stump or a short person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,586 Americans carry the last name Strunk. That puts it at #4,592 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,920 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Strunk 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
8.6K
1 in 39,920
Census rank
#4,592
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,487 bearers of the surname Strunk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4592nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Strunk, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Strunk
The surname Strunk has its origins in Germany, emerging in the 14th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "strunk," which translates to "tree trunk" or "stump." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a prominent tree trunk or stump, or perhaps worked with wood.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a medieval town in Bavaria, dating back to the late 1300s. These records mention a family with the surname Strunk residing in the area.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various historical documents across central and southern Germany, often associated with towns and villages near forested areas or areas with a significant timber industry. For instance, the name is found in records from the Black Forest region of Baden-Württemberg, where forestry and woodworking were important economic activities.
A notable early bearer of the surname was Hans Strunk, a woodcarver and sculptor active in Nuremberg in the late 15th century. His intricate wooden carvings adorned several churches and buildings in the city, showcasing the craftsmanship that may have been associated with the name.
In the 16th century, the name spread to other parts of Europe as individuals with the surname migrated or settled in new regions. One such individual was Wilhelm Strunk, a German merchant who settled in Amsterdam in the late 1500s and established a successful trading business.
By the 17th century, the name had also made its way to the American colonies, with the first recorded instance being Johann Strunk, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1683 as part of the German immigration to the region. He established a farm in what is now Montgomery County and became a respected figure in the local German community.
Another notable bearer of the surname was William Strunk Jr., an American professor of English at Cornell University in the early 20th century. He co-authored the influential writing guide "The Elements of Style" with his former student E.B. White, which became a widely used reference for writers and editors.
Over the centuries, variations of the spelling emerged, such as Strunck, Struncke, and Stronck, reflecting regional differences and the evolution of language. However, the core meaning and origin of the surname remained rooted in its German heritage and association with trees and woodworking.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Strunk
Among Census respondents with the surname Strunk, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Strunk 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 Strunk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 6,998
- Two or more races2.8% · 207
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 175
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 37
- Black or African American0.4% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Strunk
Strunk 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
#4,374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,129
+399 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 2.76
Rank movement Down 133 places
2020
#4,592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,487
-642 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 2.50
Rank movement Down 218 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,241 | 7,730 | 2.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,374 | 8,129 | 2.76 | +399 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 133 places |
| 2020 | #4,592 | 7,487 | 2.50 | -642 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 218 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 Strunk 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 | #4,374 | #4,592 | -5.0% |
| Count | 8,129 | 7,487 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.76 | 2.50 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Strunk bearers went from 8,129 to 7,487 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 218 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,374 to #4,592.
FAQ
Strunk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Strunk?
Name Census estimates that about 8,586 living Americans carry the surname Strunk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,920 residents.
How common is Strunk?
Strunk ranks #4,592 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,487 people with the surname Strunk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,586), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Strunk.
Has Strunk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Strunk went from 8,129 recorded bearers to 7,487. That is a decrease of 642 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,374 to #4,592.
What does the Census say about the background of Strunk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Strunk, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Strunk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (6,998 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Strunk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Strunk (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 Strunk mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "strunc," meaning a stump or a short person. 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 Strunk (2.50 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 Strunk?
See how common the surname Strunk is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.