2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Unite
A surname likely derived from the Latin word "unitas" meaning unity or oneness.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Unite. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Unite 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Unite in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Unite, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 55.0%. The next largest groups are White (15.0%) and Hispanic (14.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Unite
The surname Unite is thought to have originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "unit", meaning "unity" or "union". This name likely referred to someone who brought people together or promoted harmony.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Unite surname dates back to the 13th century in the region of Normandy, France. In 1272, a knight named Gilles Unite was mentioned in a local charter for his role in settling a land dispute between neighboring nobles.
By the 14th century, variations of the name such as Unyte and Unitt began appearing in historical records across northern France and parts of England. This coincided with the Norman conquest of England in 1066, suggesting some of the earliest bearers of the Unite name may have been of Norman descent.
In 1379, a man named Roger Unyte was listed in the Poll Tax returns for the county of Yorkshire, England. This indicates the name had spread to other parts of the British Isles by that time.
One notable bearer of the Unite surname was Jean Unite, a French philosopher and theologian born in 1492 in Paris. He wrote several influential works on ethics and moral philosophy during the Renaissance period.
Another historically significant figure was Marguerite Unite, a 16th century French noblewoman known for her patronage of the arts and her political influence at the court of King Henry II of France in the 1500s.
Fast-forwarding to the 17th century, Captain William Unite was an English naval officer who served in the Anglo-Dutch Wars of the 1660s and 1670s. His exploits were documented in several contemporary accounts of the naval battles he participated in.
In the 1700s, Robert Unite was a respected Scottish architect who designed several notable buildings in Edinburgh, including the Old College at the University of Edinburgh in 1789.
Finally, Mary Unite was a 19th century English novelist and poet. Born in 1820 in London, she published several popular romantic novels and poetry collections during the Victorian era before her death in 1892.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Unite
Among Census respondents with the surname Unite, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 55.0%. The next largest groups are White (15.0%) and Hispanic (14.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Unite 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 Unite surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander55.0% · 55
- White15.0% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino14.0% · 14
- Two or more races11.0% · 11
- Black or African American3.0% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Unite
Unite 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
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-9 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,230 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 5,230 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 Unite 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 | #150,452 | #155,682 | -3.5% |
| Count | 109 | 100 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Unite bearers went from 109 to 100 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 5,230 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #155,682.
FAQ
Unite surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Unite?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Unite. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Unite?
Unite ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Unite. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Unite.
Has Unite become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Unite went from 109 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 9 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Unite?
Among Census respondents with the surname Unite, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 55.0%. The next largest groups are White (15.0%) and Hispanic (14.0%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Unite in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.0% (55 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Unite appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (55.0%), White (15.0%), Hispanic (14.0%). 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 Unite (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 Unite mean?
A surname likely derived from the Latin word "unitas" meaning unity or oneness. 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 Unite (0.03 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 Unite?
Find out how many people have the surname Unite on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.