2000
#33,993
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 632
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Very Rare Last name
Unwin
An English surname derived from the Old English phrase "unfriend," meaning a friend of the nobility.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 737 Americans carry the last name Unwin. That puts it at #37,267 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 465,067 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Unwin 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 Unwin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
737
1 in 465,067
Census rank
#37,267
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
643
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 643 bearers of the surname Unwin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 37267th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Unwin, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Unwin
The surname Unwin has its origins in England, with records dating back to the late 12th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English words "un" meaning "one" and "winnan" meaning "to labor" or "to toil." The name likely referred to a laborer or a worker who worked alone.
The earliest known record of the name Unwin is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1190, where a person named Robert Unwin is mentioned. Another early reference is in the Cambridgeshire Assize Rolls of 1260, which mentions a William Unwin.
In the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, a record of landowners and tenants, the name appears as Onewyn, which is considered an early spelling variation. This suggests that the name may have been derived from the Old English "ān" meaning "one" and "winnan" meaning "to labor" or "to toil."
The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Unwin. However, it does mention place names that may have contributed to the formation of the surname, such as Wynna, Wynneburn, and Wynnefeld.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Unwin was John Unwin, who was born in Yorkshire, England, in the late 13th century. He is mentioned in the Yorkshire Assize Rolls of 1297.
Another notable individual with the surname Unwin was Thomas Unwin (c. 1516 – c. 1571), an English Protestant reformer and clergyman who served as the Bishop of Norwich during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, John Unwin (c. 1620 – 1675) was a prominent English Baptist minister and author. He played a significant role in the early development of the Baptist movement in England.
William Unwin (1718 – 1786) was an English clergyman and poet who is known for his friendship with the renowned poet William Cowper. Cowper dedicated several of his poems to Unwin.
One of the most famous bearers of the surname Unwin was Mary Unwin (1724 – 1796), who was a close friend and companion to the poet William Cowper. She helped him through periods of mental illness and was instrumental in his literary work.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Unwin
Among Census respondents with the surname Unwin, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Unwin 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 Unwin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 563
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 39
- Two or more races4.5% · 29
- Black or African American0.9% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Unwin
Unwin 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
#35,016
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 644
+12 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Down 1,023 places
2020
#37,267
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 643
-1 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Down 2,251 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #33,993 | 632 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #35,016 | 644 | 0.22 | +12 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 1,023 places |
| 2020 | #37,267 | 643 | 0.22 | -1 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 2,251 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 Unwin 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 | #35,016 | #37,267 | -6.4% |
| Count | 644 | 643 | -0.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.22 | 0.22 | -2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Unwin bearers went from 644 to 643 (-0.2% change). The surname moved down 2,251 positions in the national ranking, going from #35,016 to #37,267.
FAQ
Unwin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Unwin?
Name Census estimates that about 737 living Americans carry the surname Unwin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 465,067 residents.
How common is Unwin?
Unwin ranks #37,267 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.22 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 643 people with the surname Unwin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (737), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.22 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 Unwin.
Has Unwin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Unwin went from 644 recorded bearers to 643. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #35,016 to #37,267.
What does the Census say about the background of Unwin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Unwin, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Unwin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (563 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Unwin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Hispanic (6.1%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Unwin (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 Unwin mean?
An English surname derived from the Old English phrase "unfriend," meaning a friend of the nobility. 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 Unwin (0.22 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 Unwin?
Want to know how common the surname Unwin is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.