The Bunting surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,725 people carried this name — #4,072 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 33,800 people counted. That is up 4% from 8,423 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Bunting surname

A surname transferred from the nickname.

From bunting, a nickname for someone who resembled the songbird.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Bunting» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a nickname: ‘good little pet’.

An early record he cites: Alice Bunetun, Oxfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Bunting and Buntin.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 147 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 17 births for the Bunting name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 800 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “11 in Antrim and 4 in Armagh.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 16
Munster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In the Nordic population registers

32 people named Bunting is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 32

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Bunting was found among the farmers of 3 counties.

It was most frequent in Derbyshire: 27 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 370. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Derbyshire 27
Norfolk 14
Essex 12

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

49 families named Bunting, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 249 people lived in those households, 5.1 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 4 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 20
North Carolina 12
New York 5
New Hampshire 3
Maryland 3
Virginia 3
South Carolina 3

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 232 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Bunting in American newspapers,
1879.

Newspaper page from Montgomery County Sentinel carrying the name Bunting
Montgomery County Sentinel 1879-03-21
Newspaper page from The Columbus Journal carrying the name Bunting
The Columbus Journal 1879-10-08
Newspaper page from Frostburg Mining Journal carrying the name Bunting
Frostburg Mining Journal 1879-04-12

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,887 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Bunting in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1980s.

17,331 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Bunting. The most, 3,060, date from the 1910s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 6,330
New South Wales 3,818
Queensland 3,323
Western Australia 2,387
South Australia 626
Tasmania 520
ACT (Canberra) 80
Northern Territory 13

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Bunting.

Who carried it

People named Bunting,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Jabez Bunting
    Jabez Bunting 1779–1858 · pastor
  • John Bunting 1480–1540 · politician
  • Alice Bunting 1494–1557
  • Konrad Bünting 1600–1615
  • Edward Bunting 1773–1843 · musician
  • Edward Bunting 1773–1843 · musician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Bunting,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States866 records

866 records of the Bunting name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 280
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 177
  • Other U.S. records 409
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Roy D. Bunting

    Born 1919 in Delaware. Enlisted 1942 at Camden, New Jersey; driver from Kent County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1996, buried at Careys Cemetery, Millsboro, Delaware.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record William Joseph Bunting

    Born 1950; from Frankford, Delaware. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1970 in Cambodia.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Ricklef Bunting

    Arrived at New York in 1893 aboard the Weimar from Bremen, aged 24; farmer. From Brill, Germany; bound for Chicago.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 866 records for Bunting in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia513 records

513 records of the Bunting name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 263
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 104
  • Other Australian records 146
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record William Bunting

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Candahar, sailing from Spithead in 1842. Native of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1848. Married 1848 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 27.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Janet Bunting

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Sir William Molesworth, aged 25; Scottish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record Clarence Bunting

    Enlisted in 1915 with the 23rd Battalion. Honoured on the Ballarat Avenue of Honour.

    City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU)

Showing 3 of 513 records for Bunting in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Germany55 records

55 records of the Bunting name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 54
  • German emigration and citizenship files 1
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Theodor Bünting

    From Neuis, Aurich, Preußen. Reported wounded in the Württemberg casualty list of 1 December 1916 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 248).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Friedrich Martin Bünting

    Emigrated to North America in 1868.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Brandenburgisches Landeshauptarchiv (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Meint Bünting

    From Plaggenburg, Aurich. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 21 February 1916 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 230).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 55 records for Bunting in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0).

Canada35 records

35 records of the Bunting name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 12
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 10
  • Other Canadian records 13
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Jennie May Bunting

    Buried in 1971 at Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 87.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Robert Bunting

    Died 1971; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Joseph L. Bunting

    Died 1871 in Granville Ferry, Annapolis, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 35 records for Bunting in Canada.

Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom35 records

35 records of the Bunting name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 24
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 8
  • Other British records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Jane Bunting

    Buried in 1809 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 51.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Joseph Morton Bunting

    Will proved in 1933; of Conway, Carnarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record John Bunting

    Died 1915. Named in the roll of honour (1926).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)

Showing 3 of 35 records for Bunting in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands18 records

18 records of the Bunting name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 9
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 6
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 3
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Simon Bunting

    Died 1797 in Sluis, aged 47.

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Trijntje Bunting

    Married in 1797 in Weesp.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Vecht en Venen (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Bernarda Elisabh Bunting

    In the population register of Amsterdam; born 1852 in Amsterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Amsterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 18 records for Bunting in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

New Zealand16 records

16 records of the Bunting name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 14
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 1
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Dorothea Bunting

    Died 1885, aged 29; buried at Addington Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Henry Robert Bunting

    Buried in 1937 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 64.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Darcy Ronald Bunting

    Died 1989, aged 68; buried at Picton Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 16 records for Bunting in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Bunting.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Bunting is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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