2000
#29,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 757
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.28
Rare Last name
Tun
From the Turkish word meaning "tunic" or "undergarment", an occupational surname for a maker or seller of tunics.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,618 Americans carry the last name Tun. That puts it at #9,798 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 94,736 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tun 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 Tun with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 94,736
Census rank
#9,798
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,155 bearers of the surname Tun in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9798th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tun, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.3%) and White (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tun
The surname "TUN" has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "tun," which means an enclosure or a town.
In medieval England, the name "TUN" was often used to refer to people who lived in or were associated with a particular town or village. It was a descriptive surname, indicating the place of residence or origin of the bearer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "TUN" can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which were records of landholders and tenants in various counties of England. The name appears in these rolls as "de Tun," reflecting the Norman influence on English surnames during that period.
The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror, mentions several places with the prefix "Tun," such as Tuncroft and Tunbridge, which may have contributed to the development of the surname.
Notable individuals who bore the surname "TUN" throughout history include:
1. William de Tun (c. 1250 - 1320), a prominent landowner and member of the gentry in Gloucestershire, England.
2. John Tun (c. 1400 - 1475), a merchant and alderman of the City of London, known for his involvement in the wool trade.
3. Alice Tun (c. 1470 - 1540), a philanthropist and benefactor who founded a school for underprivileged children in the village of Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
4. Thomas Tun (c. 1560 - 1628), a celebrated playwright and poet during the Elizabethan era, best known for his satirical works.
5. Elizabeth Tun (c. 1630 - 1692), a Puritan writer and diarist who documented her religious experiences in her journal, which provided valuable insights into 17th-century English society.
Over time, variations of the spelling emerged, including "Tunn," "Tunne," and "Tonne," reflecting regional dialects and linguistic changes. Some of these variants may have been influenced by the surnames derived from place names like Tunbridge Wells or Tunstall.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tun
Among Census respondents with the surname Tun, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.3%) and White (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tun 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 Tun surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander82.9% · 2,615
- Hispanic or Latino11.3% · 357
- White3.5% · 109
- Two or more races1.4% · 44
- Black or African American0.7% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tun
Tun 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
#15,370
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,908
+1,151 bearers (+152.0%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 14,051 places
2020
#9,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,155
+1,247 bearers (+65.4%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Up 5,572 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #29,421 | 757 | 0.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,370 | 1,908 | 0.65 | +1,151 bearers (+152.0%) | Up 14,051 places |
| 2020 | #9,798 | 3,155 | 1.06 | +1,247 bearers (+65.4%) | Up 5,572 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 Tun 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 | #15,370 | #9,798 | 36.3% |
| Count | 1,908 | 3,155 | 65.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 1.06 | 62.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tun bearers went from 1,908 to 3,155 (+65.4% change). The surname moved up 5,572 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,370 to #9,798.
FAQ
Tun surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tun?
Name Census estimates that about 3,618 living Americans carry the surname Tun. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 94,736 residents.
How common is Tun?
Tun ranks #9,798 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,155 people with the surname Tun. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,618), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Tun.
Has Tun become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tun went from 1,908 recorded bearers to 3,155. That is an increase of 1,247 (+65.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,370 to #9,798.
What does the Census say about the background of Tun?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tun, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.3%) and White (3.5%). 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 Tun in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.9% (2,615 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tun appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (82.9%), Hispanic (11.3%), White (3.5%). 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 Tun (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 Tun mean?
From the Turkish word meaning "tunic" or "undergarment", an occupational surname for a maker or seller of tunics. 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 Tun (1.06 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 common is the surname Tun?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Tun is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.