2000
#9,458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,154
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.17
Rare Last name
Gunning
An occupational surname for an individual who manufactured or used guns, or perhaps a nickname for a hunter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,543 Americans carry the last name Gunning. That puts it at #9,965 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,741 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gunning 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 Gunning with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 96,741
Census rank
#9,965
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,090 bearers of the surname Gunning in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9965th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunning, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gunning
The surname GUNNING is of English origin and is derived from the Old English word "gunna" or "gunnen," which means "battle" or "war." The name is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century during the time of the Norman conquest of England.
The name was likely initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who was a skilled warrior or soldier. It may have also been used as a nickname for someone with a fierce or aggressive personality.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the GUNNING surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where a Robert Gunning is mentioned. Another early reference is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1327, which lists a John Gunnyng.
The name has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir Robert Gunning (1589-1670), an English diplomat and politician who served as a member of Parliament during the reign of Charles I and was appointed as a commissioner to negotiate with the Scottish Covenanters.
Another prominent figure was Peter Gunning (1614-1684), an English clergyman and bishop who played a significant role in the restoration of the Church of England during the reign of Charles II. He was appointed as the Bishop of Chichester in 1670.
In the 18th century, Elizabeth Gunning (1733-1790) and her sister, Maria Gunning (1737-1760), were famous for their beauty and became part of the British aristocracy through their marriages. Elizabeth married the 6th Duke of Hamilton, while Maria married the Earl of Coventry.
In the literary world, Peter Gunning (1808-1884) was a notable English author and educator who wrote several books on natural philosophy and natural history.
Another individual of note was Sir Robert Gunning (1854-1940), a British diplomat who served as the ambassador to Brazil and Sweden, and was also the Governor of Madras Presidency in India from 1919 to 1924.
The GUNNING surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Gunning in Kent and Gunning in Oxfordshire, which may have contributed to the evolution and spread of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gunning
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunning, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Gunning 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 Gunning surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.5% · 2,643
- Black or African American5.5% · 169
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 133
- Two or more races3.2% · 99
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gunning
Gunning 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
#9,646
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,364
+210 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Down 188 places
2020
#9,965
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,090
-274 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 319 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,458 | 3,154 | 1.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,646 | 3,364 | 1.14 | +210 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 188 places |
| 2020 | #9,965 | 3,090 | 1.03 | -274 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 319 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 Gunning 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 | #9,646 | #9,965 | -3.3% |
| Count | 3,364 | 3,090 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 1.03 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gunning bearers went from 3,364 to 3,090 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 319 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,646 to #9,965.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gunning
FAQ
Gunning surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gunning?
Name Census estimates that about 3,543 living Americans carry the surname Gunning. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,741 residents.
How common is Gunning?
Gunning ranks #9,965 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,090 people with the surname Gunning. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,543), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gunning.
Has Gunning become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gunning went from 3,364 recorded bearers to 3,090. That is a decrease of 274 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,646 to #9,965.
What does the Census say about the background of Gunning?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunning, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Gunning in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (2,643 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gunning appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.5%), Black (5.5%), Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Gunning (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 Gunning mean?
An occupational surname for an individual who manufactured or used guns, or perhaps a nickname for a hunter. 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 Gunning (1.03 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 many people have the surname Gunning?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.