NameCensus.

UK surname

Bunn

A nickname derived from Old French meaning "good" or "well," likely referring to a cheerful person.

In the 1881 census there were 2,913 people recorded with the Bunn surname, ranking it #1,539 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,918, ranked #1,726, down from #1,539 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos and Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Holland, Broadland and South Norfolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bunn is 4,687 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 34.5%.

1881 census count

2,913

Ranked #1,539

Modern count

3,918

2016, ranked #1,726

Peak year

1911

4,687 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bunn had 2,913 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,539 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,918 in 2016, ranked #1,726.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,687 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Bunn surname distribution map

The map shows where the Bunn surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Bunn surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Bunn over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 2,079 #1,398
1861 historical 2,068 #1,399
1881 historical 2,913 #1,539
1891 historical 3,519 #1,354
1901 historical 4,155 #1,354
1911 historical 4,687 #1,104
1997 modern 4,135 #1,567
1998 modern 4,285 #1,566
1999 modern 4,303 #1,573
2000 modern 4,257 #1,577
2001 modern 4,161 #1,574
2002 modern 4,201 #1,595
2003 modern 4,083 #1,611
2004 modern 4,100 #1,603
2005 modern 3,996 #1,628
2006 modern 3,995 #1,625
2007 modern 4,035 #1,622
2008 modern 4,018 #1,648
2009 modern 4,104 #1,655
2010 modern 4,163 #1,667
2011 modern 4,091 #1,671
2012 modern 3,974 #1,693
2013 modern 4,027 #1,700
2014 modern 4,034 #1,711
2015 modern 3,961 #1,718
2016 modern 3,918 #1,726

Geography

Back to top

Where Bunns are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos and Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Holland, Broadland, South Norfolk and Waveney. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos Norfolk
4 Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John Norfolk
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Holland 008 South Holland
2 Broadland 004 Broadland
3 South Norfolk 011 South Norfolk
4 South Norfolk 007 South Norfolk
5 Waveney 002 Waveney

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Bunn

These lists show first names that appear often with the Bunn surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Bunn

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Bunn, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Bunn surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Bunn household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Bunn is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bunn is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bunn falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Bunn is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Bunn, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Bunn

The surname BUNN is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "bun" which means "to prepare" or "to make ready". This name is believed to have originated as an occupational surname given to bakers or those involved in the preparation of bread and other baked goods.

The earliest recorded examples of the BUNN surname date back to the late 13th century, with records showing William le Bunne and Reginald le Bunne living in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, respectively, in the years 1273 and 1279. The use of the prefix "le" was a common practice at the time, indicating the surname's occupational origin.

In the Domesday Book, a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, there are references to several places with names derived from the Old English word "bun", such as Bunwell in Norfolk and Bunbury in Cheshire. These place names may have influenced the development of the BUNN surname in those regions.

One of the earliest known bearers of the BUNN surname was Sir William Bunn, a prominent merchant and alderman in the City of London, who lived from 1349 to 1412. He served as the Mayor of London in 1391 and was knighted by King Richard II for his service to the city.

Another notable figure was Robert Bunn, a English playwright and novelist who lived from 1786 to 1853. He is best known for his work "The Maid of Dishonour" and his contributions to the literary periodicals of his time.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the BUNN surname is that of John Bunn, who was born in England in 1632 and later immigrated to Virginia in the late 17th century. His descendants went on to settle in various parts of the country, including North Carolina and Tennessee.

The BUNN surname has also been associated with several notable figures in the field of science and technology. One example is Alfred Bunn, an English engineer and inventor who lived from 1799 to 1860. He is credited with developing the first successful commercial ice-making machine, which revolutionized the preservation of food and transportation of perishable goods.

Another notable bearer of the BUNN surname was Sir Benjamin Bunn, a British chemist and industrialist who lived from 1850 to 1933. He made significant contributions to the development of the chemical industry and was knighted for his services in 1920.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Bunn families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bunn surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Norfolk leads with 619 Bunns recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.14x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 619 14.14x
Middlesex 419 1.47x
Staffordshire 248 2.58x
Worcestershire 212 5.70x
Warwickshire 204 2.84x
Lancashire 162 0.48x
Surrey 143 1.03x
Essex 131 2.33x
Suffolk 129 3.72x
Yorkshire 66 0.23x
Cheshire 65 1.03x
Lincolnshire 61 1.34x
Cambridgeshire 59 3.27x
Kent 57 0.59x
Durham 49 0.58x
Gloucestershire 37 0.66x
Somerset 36 0.79x
Hampshire 25 0.43x
Hertfordshire 23 1.17x
Herefordshire 21 1.80x
Dorset 17 0.91x
Shropshire 16 0.65x
Nottinghamshire 14 0.36x
Sussex 14 0.29x
Derbyshire 11 0.25x
Northamptonshire 11 0.41x
Northumberland 8 0.19x
Royal Navy 7 2.06x
Bedfordshire 6 0.41x
Berkshire 6 0.28x
Channel Islands 6 0.71x
Brecknockshire 5 0.88x
Caernarfonshire 5 0.43x
Denbighshire 5 0.46x
Cornwall 4 0.12x
Monmouthshire 4 0.19x
Glamorgan 2 0.04x
Oxfordshire 2 0.11x
Pembrokeshire 2 0.22x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.06x
Dunbartonshire 1 0.13x
Fife 1 0.06x
Flintshire 1 0.13x
Leicestershire 1 0.03x
Midlothian 1 0.03x
Wiltshire 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wymondham in Norfolk leads with 85 Bunns recorded in 1881 and an index of 189.86x.

Place Total Index
Wymondham 85 189.86x
Aston 74 3.74x
Birmingham 70 2.92x
West Bromwich 67 12.18x
Bethnal Green London 59 4.77x
Great Yarmouth 59 16.27x
Heigham 49 20.85x
Sedgley 48 13.45x
Dudley 45 9.95x
Lambeth 44 1.77x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 33 25.11x
Newton In Northwich 30 156.82x
Islington London 29 1.05x
Shoreditch London 29 2.35x
Chelsea London 28 3.26x
St Pancras London 27 1.18x
Rotherhithe 26 7.39x
Poplar London 24 4.47x
Westminster St John 24 6.92x
Kensington London 23 1.45x
Berrow 22 604.40x
Bulmer 20 294.99x
Kings Norton 20 6.00x
Burslem 18 6.54x
Dersingham 17 172.06x
Drayton 17 426.07x
Stafford St Mary 17 12.49x
Wedmore 17 56.99x
Camberwell 16 0.88x
Horsford 16 235.64x
Kidderminster Borough 16 7.35x
Kirkdale 16 2.81x
Bury 15 3.89x
Chadderton 15 9.08x
Kingswinford 15 4.30x
St Marylebone London 15 0.99x
Edmonton 14 6.10x
Gateshead 14 2.21x
March 14 23.18x
Mile End Old Town London 14 2.31x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 13 2.47x
Great Hautbois 13 616.11x
Bromsgrove 12 9.59x
Eastnor 12 309.28x
Gunthorpe 12 558.14x
Hackney London 12 0.75x
Stranton 12 4.21x
West Ham 12 0.97x
Blundeston 11 158.05x
Bromley London 11 1.76x
Dickleburgh 11 136.14x
East Wretham 11 650.89x
Hammersmith London 11 1.57x
Manchester 11 0.72x
Barrow In Furness 10 2.18x
Birtsmorton 10 354.61x
Carlton Colville 10 78.62x
Greenwich 10 2.21x
Hillingdon 10 11.02x
Kempsey 10 70.92x
Northchurch 10 47.71x
Old Buckenham 10 89.13x
Portsea 10 0.87x
Southwark St George Martyr 10 1.75x
Woodbridge 10 22.55x
Acle 9 100.78x
Bilston 9 4.83x
Broadway 9 56.29x
Bungay Holy Trinity 9 50.56x
Bungay St Mary 9 52.39x
Frettenham 9 414.75x
Gorton 9 2.83x
Norwich St Giles 9 64.19x
Runwell 9 275.23x
Sandridge 9 109.09x
St Clement Danes London 9 15.27x
St Luke London 9 1.97x
Toxteth Park 9 0.79x
Danbury 8 83.95x
Stratton St Michael 8 311.28x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Bunn surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 168
Elizabeth 122
Sarah 104
Ann 65
Eliza 55
Ellen 48
Alice 44
Emma 44
Emily 42
Harriet 40
Jane 38
Hannah 37
Annie 31
Charlotte 31
Maria 26
Louisa 23
Martha 23
Edith 19
Susan 17
Ada 16
Catherine 15
Rebecca 14
Anne 13
Florence 13
Frances 13
Lucy 13
Fanny 12
Laura 12
Margaret 11
Agnes 10
Eleanor 10
Sophia 10
Susannah 10
Anna 9
Caroline 9
Kate 9
Amelia 8
Amy 8
Harriett 8
Esther 6
Gertrude 6
Rosa 6
Selina 6
Bessie 5
Helen 5
Henrietta 5
Isabella 5
Matilda 5
Betsy 4
Eliz. 4

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Bunn surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 184
John 136
George 118
James 108
Charles 89
Thomas 83
Henry 58
Arthur 51
Joseph 49
Samuel 39
Walter 39
Alfred 37
Robert 35
Frederick 34
Edward 33
Richard 26
Albert 22
Harry 22
Herbert 20
Benjamin 19
Ernest 13
Edwin 12
David 8
Frank 7
Fredrick 7
Josiah 7
Peter 6
Alexander 5
Wm. 5
Chas. 4
Edmund 4
Henery 4
Isaac 4
Jas. 4
Thos. 4
Horace 3
Jeremiah 3
Marshall 3
Moses 3
Owen 3
Philip 3
Saml. 3
Abel 2
Allan 2
Cecil 2
Christopher 2
Elijah 2
Jesse 2
Miles 2
Patrick 2

FAQ

Bunn surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bunn surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,913 people were recorded with the Bunn surname. That placed it at #1,539 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bunn surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,918 in 2016. That gives Bunn a modern rank of #1,726.

What does the Bunn surname mean?

A nickname derived from Old French meaning "good" or "well," likely referring to a cheerful person.

What does the Bunn map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Bunn bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.