2000
#3,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,423
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.12
Rare Last name
Bunting
A surname referring to a maker or seller of flags, pennants, or festive decorations.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,311 Americans carry the last name Bunting. That puts it at #4,225 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,812 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bunting 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 Bunting with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.3K
1 in 36,812
Census rank
#4,225
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,120 bearers of the surname Bunting in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4225th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bunting, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bunting
The surname Bunting has its origins in England, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to be an occupational name, derived from the Old English word "bunt," which referred to a thin cloth or material used for sifting grain or meal. Individuals who worked as sifters or engaged in activities related to the production or handling of grain may have acquired this surname.
The earliest known record of the name Bunting dates back to the 13th century, appearing in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, where it is listed as "Buntinge." This early spelling variation reflects the evolution of the name over time, with various forms such as Buntyng and Buntynge appearing in subsequent records.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are no direct references to the surname Bunting. However, the book does mention place names that may have contributed to the formation of the surname, such as Buntingford in Hertfordshire, which could be derived from "Bunta's ford" or "the ford of the bunting bird."
One notable figure bearing the surname Bunting was Edward Bunting, an Irish musician and collector of traditional Irish music, born in 1773 and died in 1843. His work in preserving and documenting Irish melodies and tunes has left a significant impact on the cultural heritage of Ireland.
Another historical figure was Thomas Bunting, an English mathematician and minister, born in 1642 and died in 1743. He was known for his contributions to the field of mathematics and authored several works on the subject, including "The Doctrine of Compound Interest" and "The Whole Art of Mensuration."
In the literary world, Basil Bunting, an English poet born in 1900 and died in 1985, is recognized for his influential modernist poetry. His most famous work, "Briggflatts," published in 1966, is considered a masterpiece of 20th-century poetry.
Sir Maurice Bunting, a British colonial administrator born in 1869 and died in 1947, served as the Governor of British Honduras (now Belize) from 1923 to 1932. He played a significant role in the administration of the British colonies during the early 20th century.
In the field of sports, Wilfred Bunting, a British Olympic athlete born in 1887 and died in 1957, won a gold medal in the men's high jump at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. His athletic achievements have contributed to the legacy of the Bunting surname in sporting history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bunting
Among Census respondents with the surname Bunting, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Bunting 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 Bunting surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.1% · 6,748
- Black or African American9.4% · 764
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 271
- Two or more races3.3% · 269
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bunting
Bunting 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
#4,072
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,725
+302 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 2.96
Rank movement Down 200 places
2020
#4,225
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,120
-605 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 2.72
Rank movement Down 153 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,872 | 8,423 | 3.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,072 | 8,725 | 2.96 | +302 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 200 places |
| 2020 | #4,225 | 8,120 | 2.72 | -605 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 153 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 Bunting 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 | #4,072 | #4,225 | -3.8% |
| Count | 8,725 | 8,120 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.96 | 2.72 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bunting bearers went from 8,725 to 8,120 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 153 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,072 to #4,225.
FAQ
Bunting surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bunting?
Name Census estimates that about 9,311 living Americans carry the surname Bunting. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,812 residents.
How common is Bunting?
Bunting ranks #4,225 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,120 people with the surname Bunting. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,311), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Bunting.
Has Bunting become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bunting went from 8,725 recorded bearers to 8,120. That is a decrease of 605 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,072 to #4,225.
What does the Census say about the background of Bunting?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bunting, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Bunting in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.1% (6,748 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bunting appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.1%), Black (9.4%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Bunting (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 Bunting mean?
A surname referring to a maker or seller of flags, pennants, or festive decorations. 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 Bunting (2.72 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 Bunting?
See how common the surname Bunting is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.