2000
#2,272
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,668
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.44
Uncommon Last name
Unger
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to a Hungarian person or someone from Hungary.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,322 Americans carry the last name Unger. That puts it at #2,472 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,000 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Unger 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 Unger with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,000
Census rank
#2,472
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,234 bearers of the surname Unger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2472nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Unger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Unger
The surname Unger has its origins in Germany and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Unger," which means "Hungarian" or "from Hungary." This suggests that the name was likely given to people who either originated from Hungary or had some connection to the country.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Unger can be found in the town of Bruck an der Mur, located in the Austrian state of Styria. In the 14th century, a man named Ulrich Unger was mentioned in a document from 1348, indicating the presence of this surname in the region during that time period.
Another early record of the Unger name is found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dating back to the 13th century. Here, a certain Johannes Unger is mentioned in a document from the year 1364.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname Unger. One prominent figure was Johann Friedrich Unger (1714-1781), a German jurist and professor of law at the University of Halle. Another was Johann Georg Unger (1715-1788), a German physician and botanist known for his work on plant taxonomy.
In the realm of literature, Theodor Unger (1806-1835) was a German poet and writer who is remembered for his contributions to the Biedermeier literary movement. Additionally, Carl Richard Unger (1836-1885) was a German historian and author who specialized in the study of ancient civilizations.
The Unger surname has also been associated with various places and geographical locations. For instance, the town of Unger in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt likely derived its name from the presence of individuals bearing this surname in the area.
Throughout history, the surname Unger has undergone various spelling variations, including Ungar, Ungher, and Unghern, reflecting the influence of different regional dialects and linguistic influences over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Unger
Among Census respondents with the surname Unger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Unger 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 Unger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 13,069
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 419
- Two or more races2.5% · 362
- Black or African American1.3% · 183
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 116
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 85
Timeline
Historical Census data for Unger
Unger 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
#2,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,738
+70 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 5.00
Rank movement Down 177 places
2020
#2,472
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,234
-504 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 4.76
Rank movement Down 23 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,272 | 14,668 | 5.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,449 | 14,738 | 5.00 | +70 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 177 places |
| 2020 | #2,472 | 14,234 | 4.76 | -504 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 23 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 Unger 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 | #2,449 | #2,472 | -0.9% |
| Count | 14,738 | 14,234 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 5.00 | 4.76 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Unger bearers went from 14,738 to 14,234 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 23 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,449 to #2,472.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Unger
FAQ
Unger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Unger?
Name Census estimates that about 16,322 living Americans carry the surname Unger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,000 residents.
How common is Unger?
Unger ranks #2,472 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,234 people with the surname Unger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,322), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Unger.
Has Unger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Unger went from 14,738 recorded bearers to 14,234. That is a decrease of 504 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,449 to #2,472.
What does the Census say about the background of Unger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Unger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Unger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (13,069 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Unger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Unger (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 Unger mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to a Hungarian person or someone from Hungary. 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 Unger (4.76 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 are called Unger?
Find out how many people have the surname Unger on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.