2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ungurean
A Romanian surname derived from the demonym "Ungur" meaning "Hungarian".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Ungurean. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ungurean 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Ungurean in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ungurean, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ungurean
The surname Ungurean is of Romanian origin, derived from the ethnonym "Ungur" which means "Hungarian" in the Romanian language. It likely originated in the regions of Transylvania and Banat, areas with significant Hungarian minority populations within the borders of modern-day Romania.
The name's roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages when ethnic Hungarians migrated and settled in various parts of the Kingdom of Hungary, which at the time included territories that are now part of Romania. The suffix "-ean" denotes a patronymic or locative surname, indicating either descent from an ancestor named Ungur or association with a place named after Hungarians.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Bathory, a 15th-century manuscript from Transylvania, where it appears as "Vngvrian". This document contains records of land ownership and legal transactions, suggesting that individuals bearing the surname Ungurean were already established in the region during that period.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various forms, such as "Ungurean" and "Vngurian", in the records of the Principality of Transylvania, which was a semi-independent state within the Ottoman Empire at the time. These records include references to individuals involved in trade, crafts, and local governance.
A notable figure with the surname Ungurean was Gheorghe Ungurean (1846-1920), a Romanian politician and lawyer from Transylvania who served as a member of the Austro-Hungarian Parliament and fought for the rights of the Romanian population within the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Another prominent individual was Ion Ungurean (1894-1976), a Romanian writer and journalist who authored several works exploring the cultural ties between Romanians and Hungarians in Transylvania. His novel "Stejarul din Chinteni" (The Oak Tree of Chinteni) is considered a classic of Romanian literature.
In the 20th century, the name Ungurean can be found in various historical records from both Romania and Hungary, reflecting the complex ethnic and cultural connections between the two countries. One example is Vasile Ungurean (1920-2001), a Romanian-born Hungarian writer and poet who was a prominent figure in the Hungarian literary community of Transylvania.
It is also worth mentioning Mihai Ungurean (born 1955), a Romanian-born Hungarian academic and philosopher who has written extensively on topics related to phenomenology and the philosophy of language.
Throughout its history, the surname Ungurean has maintained its connection to the Hungarian ethnic minority in Romania, reflecting the cultural diversity and longstanding interactions between the two nations in the regions of Transylvania and Banat.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ungurean
Among Census respondents with the surname Ungurean, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ungurean 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 Ungurean surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.2% · 120
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ungurean
Ungurean 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
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+7 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,911 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.1%) | Up 3,911 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 Ungurean 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 | #141,309 | 2.7% |
| Count | 114 | 121 | 6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ungurean bearers went from 114 to 121 (+6.1% change). The surname moved up 3,911 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #141,309.
FAQ
Ungurean surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ungurean?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Ungurean. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Ungurean?
Ungurean ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Ungurean. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Ungurean.
Has Ungurean become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ungurean went from 114 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 7 (+6.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Ungurean?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ungurean, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Ungurean in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.2% (120 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ungurean appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Ungurean (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 Ungurean mean?
A Romanian surname derived from the demonym "Ungur" meaning "Hungarian". 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 Ungurean (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 common is the surname Ungurean?
You can see how many people have the last name Ungurean on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.