2000
#2,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,962
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.55
Uncommon Last name
Sun
A Chinese surname derived from the royal lineage of the Zhou dynasty or referring to descendants of the sun.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 42,125 Americans carry the last name Sun. That puts it at #929 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,137 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sun 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 Sun with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
42K
1 in 8,137
Census rank
#929
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
37K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 36,735 bearers of the surname Sun in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 929th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sun, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sun
The surname SUN originated in China, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the Warring States period (475-221 BC). The name is derived from the Chinese character "孙" (sūn), which means "grandchild" or "descendant." It was a common practice in ancient China to adopt generational names as surnames.
During the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), the name SUN gained prominence. One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the historical text "Zizhi Tongjian" (资治通鉴), which mentions the warlord Sun Jian (155-191 AD) and his descendants, who played a pivotal role in the tumultuous Three Kingdoms period.
In the 7th century AD, the prominent scholar and calligrapher Sun Guoting (648-703 AD) made significant contributions to the development of the Regular Script (kaishu) calligraphic style. His works are celebrated and studied to this day.
The surname SUN also has connections to various place names, such as Sunchon County in North Korea and Sunchang County in South Korea. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the surname SUN who settled in those regions.
Throughout history, several notable figures have carried the surname SUN. Sun Tzu (544-496 BC), the author of the renowned military treatise "The Art of War," is perhaps the most famous. Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), a revolutionary leader and the first president of the Republic of China, played a crucial role in overthrowing the Qing Dynasty and establishing a modern Chinese state.
Other notable individuals include Sun Simiao (581-682 AD), a celebrated physician and author of the influential medical text "Beiji Qianjin Yaofang" (備急千金要方); Sun Quan (182-252 AD), the founding emperor of the Eastern Wu state during the Three Kingdoms period; and Sun Xingyan (1753-1818), a prominent scholar and poet during the Qing Dynasty.
The surname SUN continues to be widely used in various Chinese communities around the world, carrying a rich historical legacy that spans more than two millennia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sun
Among Census respondents with the surname Sun, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sun 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 Sun surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.6% · 34,391
- White3.2% · 1,180
- Two or more races1.7% · 615
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 316
- Black or African American0.5% · 173
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 60
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sun
Sun 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
#1,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,058
+9,096 bearers (+60.8%)
Per 100,000 8.16
Rank movement Up 744 places
2020
#929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,735
+12,677 bearers (+52.7%)
Per 100,000 12.29
Rank movement Up 555 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,228 | 14,962 | 5.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,484 | 24,058 | 8.16 | +9,096 bearers (+60.8%) | Up 744 places |
| 2020 | #929 | 36,735 | 12.29 | +12,677 bearers (+52.7%) | Up 555 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 Sun 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 | #1,484 | #929 | 37.4% |
| Count | 24,058 | 36,735 | 52.7% |
| Per 100K | 8.16 | 12.29 | 50.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sun bearers went from 24,058 to 36,735 (+52.7% change). The surname moved up 555 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,484 to #929.
FAQ
Sun surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sun?
Name Census estimates that about 42,125 living Americans carry the surname Sun. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,137 residents.
How common is Sun?
Sun ranks #929 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 36,735 people with the surname Sun. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (42,125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Sun.
Has Sun become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sun went from 24,058 recorded bearers to 36,735. That is an increase of 12,677 (+52.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,484 to #929.
What does the Census say about the background of Sun?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sun, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.6%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sun in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (34,391 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sun appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.6%), White (3.2%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Sun (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 Sun mean?
A Chinese surname derived from the royal lineage of the Zhou dynasty or referring to descendants of the sun. 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 Sun (12.29 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 have the surname Sun?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.