Find out how popular the last name Tunison is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Tunison.

Tunison, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Tunison surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tunison in America

Tunison is the 26549th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tunison surname appeared 918 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Tunison.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tunison to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Tunison

The surname Tunison has its origins in England, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be a variant of the name Tonison, which itself is derived from the Old English personal name Toni or Tuni, meaning "thin" or "slender".

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tunison can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, where a William Tunison was recorded in 1587. This suggests that the name was already in use in the region during the late 16th century.

The name Tunison may also have connections to the village of Tunstall in Staffordshire, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Tunestalle". It is possible that the name Tunison evolved from individuals who hailed from this area or a similar place name.

In the 17th century, the Tunison surname appears to have spread to other parts of England, including London. A notable figure from this era was Robert Tunison, a merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers, who was born in 1632 and died in 1698.

As the British Empire expanded, the Tunison name also made its way to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances in America is that of John Tunison, who was born in New Jersey in 1723 and served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

Another individual of note was Samuel Tunison, born in 1789 in New York, who was a prominent politician and served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1833 to 1837.

In the 19th century, the Tunison surname continued to appear in various parts of the United States and Canada. One notable figure was James Tunison, a Canadian politician and farmer who was born in 1819 and served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1867 to 1871.

Another individual of note was William Tunison, an American businessman and politician who was born in 1832 in New York. He served as a member of the New York State Assembly from 1876 to 1877.

While the Tunison surname may not be as common as some other English surnames, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and can be found in various parts of the English-speaking world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tunison

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Tunison.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Tunison was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Tunison has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Tunison was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tunison, please contact us.

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