2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tunberg
A Swedish surname deriving from tun, meaning "fence," and berg, meaning "mountain."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Tunberg. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tunberg 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Tunberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tunberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tunberg
The surname Tunberg is believed to have originated in Sweden during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Swedish words "tun," meaning a fenced-in enclosure or farmstead, and "berg," meaning a hill or mountain. The name likely referred to someone who lived near or owned a farm located on a hill or mountainous region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tunberg can be found in the Älvsborgs lösen, a Swedish historical document from the 16th century that lists individuals who contributed to the ransom for the Älvsborg fortress. The name appears as "Thunberg" in this record.
In the 17th century, the surname Tunberg was occasionally spelled as "Thunberg" or "Thumberg" in various Swedish parish records and church registers. This variation in spelling was common during that time due to regional dialects and the inconsistent use of orthography.
One notable individual with the surname Tunberg was Carl Peter Tunberg, a Swedish botanist and naturalist who lived from 1743 to 1828. He was a student of the renowned Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus and made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy.
Another prominent figure with this surname was Johan Tunberg, a Swedish military officer and politician who lived from 1735 to 1805. He served as a colonel in the Swedish army and later became a member of the Swedish Riksdag, representing the nobility.
In the 19th century, the surname Tunberg became more widely recognized, with several individuals bearing the name achieving notable accomplishments. One such person was Olof Abraham Tunberg, a Swedish philologist and classical scholar who lived from 1803 to 1881. He made important contributions to the study of ancient Greek and Latin literature.
Another 19th-century figure with the surname Tunberg was Carl Johan Tunberg, a Swedish architect and urban planner who lived from 1834 to 1899. He was responsible for designing several prominent buildings and urban developments in Stockholm and other Swedish cities.
During the 20th century, the surname Tunberg continued to be present in various fields. One notable individual was Sven Tunberg, a Swedish actor and film director who lived from 1905 to 1984. He appeared in numerous Swedish and international films and was also known for his work as a film producer.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tunberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Tunberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Tunberg 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 Tunberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.7% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 6
- Two or more races4.8% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tunberg
Tunberg 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,463 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-9 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,769 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 5,463 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 7,769 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 Tunberg 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 | #152,989 | -5.3% |
| Count | 114 | 105 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tunberg bearers went from 114 to 105 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 7,769 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #152,989.
FAQ
Tunberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tunberg?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Tunberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Tunberg?
Tunberg ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Tunberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Tunberg.
Has Tunberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tunberg went from 114 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Tunberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tunberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Tunberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.7% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tunberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.7%), Hispanic (5.7%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Tunberg (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 Tunberg mean?
A Swedish surname deriving from tun, meaning "fence," and berg, meaning "mountain." 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 Tunberg (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 have the last name Tunberg?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Tunberg on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.