2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Tunk
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "fenced enclosure".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Tunk. 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 Tunk 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 Tunk 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 Tunk, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.0%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tunk
The surname Tunk is believed to have originated in England, likely in the 14th or 15th century. It is thought to be a variation of the Old English word "tunge," meaning "tongue" or "language." This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive nickname for someone who was particularly talkative or skilled in communication.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tunk can be found in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, dated 1315, where a Thomas Tunk is mentioned. This indicates that the name was present in the northern regions of England during the medieval period.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various parish records and tax rolls, such as the Lay Subsidy Rolls for Warwickshire in 1524, where a Robert Tunk is listed. This suggests that the name had spread to other parts of England by this time.
The Tunk surname is also associated with several place names in England, particularly in the counties of Derbyshire and Staffordshire. For example, the village of Tunstall, derived from the Old English words "tun" (meaning "farm" or "settlement") and "stallr" (meaning "wooded area"), may have contributed to the development of the surname.
One notable individual bearing the Tunk surname was Sir Thomas Tunk, a prominent English merchant and politician who lived in the 16th century. He served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1552 and played a significant role in the trade and commerce of the city during that time.
Another historical figure with the Tunk surname was William Tunk (c. 1610-1680), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including a treatise on the Lord's Prayer.
In the 18th century, John Tunk (1721-1799) was a notable English architect and surveyor who designed several churches and public buildings in and around London.
The Tunk surname also has connections to the arts, with the painter and illustrator Mary Tunk (1822-1901) being a notable figure in Victorian England. Her works were widely exhibited and included portraits, landscapes, and book illustrations.
Finally, Henry Tunk (1856-1923) was a British engineer and inventor who contributed to the development of early automobile designs and held several patents related to engine technology.
While the surname Tunk may not be among the most common in England, its long history and associations with various professions and notable individuals highlight its enduring presence within the country's cultural tapestry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tunk
Among Census respondents with the surname Tunk, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.0%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Tunk 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 Tunk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.0% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tunk
Tunk 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
+18 bearers (+18.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 17,464 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+18.0%) | Up 17,464 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 Tunk 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 | #160,975 | #143,511 | 10.8% |
| Count | 100 | 118 | 18.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 31.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tunk bearers went from 100 to 118 (+18.0% change). The surname moved up 17,464 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #143,511.
FAQ
Tunk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tunk?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Tunk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Tunk?
Tunk 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 Tunk. 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 Tunk.
Has Tunk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tunk went from 100 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 18 (+18.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Tunk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tunk, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.0%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Tunk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tunk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (11.0%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Tunk (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 Tunk mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "fenced enclosure". 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 Tunk (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 Americans have the surname Tunk?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.