2000
#18,542
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,373
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.51
Rare Last name
Ungar
A surname derived from the country Hungary, indicating ancestry from that region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,090 Americans carry the last name Ungar. That puts it at #15,476 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,997 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ungar 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
2.1K
1 in 163,997
Census rank
#15,476
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,823 bearers of the surname Ungar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15476th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ungar, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ungar
The surname Ungar is of Hungarian origin, derived from the word "ungar," which means "Hungarian" in several languages, including Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian. This name likely originated in the Middle Ages when Hungary was known as the Kingdom of Hungary.
The earliest recorded use of the name Ungar dates back to the 12th century, when it appeared in various Hungarian documents and records. It was often used to identify individuals who had migrated from Hungary or had Hungarian ancestry.
In the 13th century, the name Ungar was mentioned in the "Registrum Ecclesiae Parochialis de Magyar," a medieval manuscript that documented parish records in Hungary. This suggests that the name was well-established in the region during this period.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Ungar was Pal Ungar, a Hungarian nobleman and military commander who lived in the 15th century. He played a significant role in defending Hungary against Ottoman invasions.
In the 16th century, the name Ungar appeared in various German records, indicating that individuals with this surname had migrated to German-speaking regions. This was likely due to the political and religious turmoil that plagued Hungary during this time.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Ungar became more widespread across Europe as Hungarian immigrants settled in various countries. One notable figure from this period was Janos Ungar, a Hungarian theologian and philosopher who lived from 1670 to 1744.
In the 19th century, the Ungar surname gained prominence in the United States, as many Hungarian immigrants sought new opportunities in the New World. One of the most famous individuals with this name was Max Ungar, a Hungarian-American businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1837 to 1917.
Another notable figure was Estelle Ungar, an American professional poker player who was born in 1936 and won several prestigious tournaments, including the World Series of Poker Main Event in 1997.
Throughout history, the surname Ungar has been associated with various place names and spellings, such as Ungari, Ungaria, and Ungern, reflecting the various linguistic and cultural influences it has encountered over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ungar
Among Census respondents with the surname Ungar, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ungar 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 Ungar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 1,744
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 46
- Two or more races1.0% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ungar
Ungar 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
#17,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,606
+233 bearers (+17.0%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Up 1,012 places
2020
#15,476
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,823
+217 bearers (+13.5%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 2,054 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,542 | 1,373 | 0.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,530 | 1,606 | 0.54 | +233 bearers (+17.0%) | Up 1,012 places |
| 2020 | #15,476 | 1,823 | 0.61 | +217 bearers (+13.5%) | Up 2,054 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 Ungar 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 | #17,530 | #15,476 | 11.7% |
| Count | 1,606 | 1,823 | 13.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.54 | 0.61 | 12.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ungar bearers went from 1,606 to 1,823 (+13.5% change). The surname moved up 2,054 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,530 to #15,476.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Ungar
FAQ
Ungar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ungar?
Name Census estimates that about 2,090 living Americans carry the surname Ungar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,997 residents.
How common is Ungar?
Ungar ranks #15,476 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,823 people with the surname Ungar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,090), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Ungar.
Has Ungar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ungar went from 1,606 recorded bearers to 1,823. That is an increase of 217 (+13.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,530 to #15,476.
What does the Census say about the background of Ungar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ungar, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ungar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (1,744 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ungar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Ungar (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 Ungar mean?
A surname derived from the country Hungary, indicating ancestry from that region. 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 Ungar (0.61 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 are called Ungar?
See how many Americans have the surname Ungar on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.