2000
#109,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 150
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Suneson
A Swedish surname derived from "suns son" literally meaning "son of the sun".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 183 Americans carry the last name Suneson. That puts it at #115,686 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,872,975 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Suneson 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
183
1 in 1,872,975
Census rank
#115,686
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
160
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 160 bearers of the surname Suneson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 115686th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Suneson, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Suneson
The surname SUNESON originated in the Scandinavian countries, primarily Sweden and Norway, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norse words "sunr" meaning son and the possessive suffix "-son," indicating that the name referred to the son of someone named Sune.
The name Sune itself is believed to be a diminutive form of the Old Norse name Sveinungr, which means "young man" or "boy." It was a common practice in Scandinavia during the Middle Ages to use patronymic surnames, where a person's last name was derived from their father's given name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname SUNESON can be found in the Diplomatarium Norwegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian charters and documents from the 12th and 13th centuries. In this collection, there are several mentions of individuals with the surname SUNESON, suggesting that the name was in use during this time period.
In Sweden, the surname SUNESON can be traced back to the 14th century, with records showing individuals bearing this name in various parts of the country. One notable early bearer of the name was Sune Suneson, a Swedish nobleman who lived in the late 14th century and served as a member of the Swedish Privy Council.
Another historical figure with the surname SUNESON was Nils Suneson, a Swedish clergyman who lived in the 16th century. He was the Bishop of Västerås from 1540 to 1567 and played a significant role in the Swedish Reformation.
During the 17th century, the surname SUNESON was prevalent in the Swedish province of Småland. One individual of note from this region was Johan Suneson, a military officer who served in the Swedish Army during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648).
In Norway, the surname SUNESON was also found in various regions, with records indicating its presence in areas such as Telemark, Oppland, and Trøndelag. One notable Norwegian bearing the name was Nils Suneson, a farmer and landowner who lived in the 18th century and was known for his extensive land holdings in the Gudbrandsdalen valley.
Over time, the surname SUNESON has undergone various spelling variations, including Sunsson, Sunesson, and Suneson. These variations likely arose due to regional differences in pronunciation and spelling practices within Scandinavia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Suneson
Among Census respondents with the surname Suneson, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Suneson 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 Suneson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.6% · 153
- Two or more races3.1% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Suneson
Suneson 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
#110,286
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 160
+10 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 958 places
2020
#115,686
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 160
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 5,400 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #109,328 | 150 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #110,286 | 160 | 0.05 | +10 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 958 places |
| 2020 | #115,686 | 160 | 0.05 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 5,400 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 Suneson 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 | #110,286 | #115,686 | -4.9% |
| Count | 160 | 160 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | 7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Suneson bearers went from 160 to 160 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 5,400 positions in the national ranking, going from #110,286 to #115,686.
FAQ
Suneson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Suneson?
Name Census estimates that about 183 living Americans carry the surname Suneson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,872,975 residents.
How common is Suneson?
Suneson ranks #115,686 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 160 people with the surname Suneson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (183), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Suneson.
Has Suneson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Suneson went from 160 recorded bearers to 160. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #110,286 to #115,686.
What does the Census say about the background of Suneson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Suneson, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Suneson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.6% (153 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Suneson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.6%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Suneson (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 Suneson mean?
A Swedish surname derived from "suns son" literally meaning "son 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 Suneson (0.05 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 Suneson?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Suneson at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.