2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sunio
A surname derived from the Latin word "sonus" meaning sound or noise.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Sunio. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sunio 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Sunio in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sunio, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.9%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sunio
The surname SUNIO has its origins in Spain, specifically in the Basque region. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Basque word "sunio," which means "fire" or "hearth." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked with fire or lived near a hearth or fireplace.
Records from the 15th century indicate that the name SUNIO was present in several villages and towns across the Basque Country. One of the earliest known mentions of the name can be found in a document from the town of Guernica, dated 1489, which refers to a certain Pedro Sunio as a local landowner.
Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the SUNIO surname began to spread beyond the Basque region, appearing in various parts of Spain. Notable individuals bearing this name during this period include Juan Sunio (1542-1612), a renowned poet and scholar from Bilbao, and Maria Sunio (1587-1662), a philanthropist from Vitoria who funded the construction of a hospital for the poor.
As the Spanish Empire expanded across the globe, the SUNIO surname also found its way to the Americas. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the New World is that of Diego Sunio, a soldier who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century.
In the 18th century, the SUNIO surname gained prominence in the field of literature and arts. Francisco Sunio (1712-1789) was a celebrated painter from Madrid, known for his religious and historical works. Similarly, Ana Sunio (1738-1802) was a respected writer and playwright from Seville, whose plays were performed in theaters across Spain.
Moving into the 19th century, the SUNIO surname continued to be represented in various fields. Alejandro Sunio (1821-1894) was a prominent politician and diplomat from Bilbao, serving as Spain's ambassador to several European countries. Manuel Sunio (1849-1912), on the other hand, was a renowned architect from Barcelona, responsible for designing several iconic buildings in the city.
Throughout its history, the SUNIO surname has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, from artists and writers to soldiers and politicians. While the name may have originated in the Basque region, it has since become a part of Spain's rich cultural tapestry, reflecting the country's diverse heritage and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sunio
Among Census respondents with the surname Sunio, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.9%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Sunio 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 Sunio surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander80.5% · 95
- Two or more races11.9% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- White1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sunio
Sunio appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+4 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,709 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.5%) | Up 1,709 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 Sunio 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 | #145,220 | #143,511 | 1.2% |
| Count | 114 | 118 | 3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sunio bearers went from 114 to 118 (+3.5% change). The surname moved up 1,709 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #143,511.
FAQ
Sunio surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sunio?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Sunio. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Sunio?
Sunio ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 118 people with the surname Sunio. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Sunio.
Has Sunio become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sunio went from 114 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 4 (+3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Sunio?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sunio, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.9%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sunio in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.5% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sunio appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (80.5%), Two or More Races (11.9%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Sunio (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 Sunio mean?
A surname derived from the Latin word "sonus" meaning sound or noise. 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 Sunio (0.04 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 share the surname Sunio?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.