Sun
A name that usually points to the sun itself, sometimes adopted as a bright, symbolic surname.
The #1,484 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 12,833 Americans shares it.
Etymology
In English contexts, Sun is most often a modern ornamental or symbolic surname taken from the common noun for the sun, rather than a medieval hereditary name. In German and other European materials, similar-looking forms can also be linked to words meaning ‘sun’ or to Latin Sol in nickname-style usage. In Chinese, Sun is a completely separate surname, commonly written 孙 in simplified Chinese, with a different origin and pronunciation.
History
The English surname is comparatively uncommon and appears to have been used mainly in modern periods, often as a chosen or naturalized name. In census use today it is especially likely to reflect multiple origins, including Chinese immigration and occasional adoption from European languages. Because the spelling is short and cross-linguistic, bearers of Sun may have unrelated family histories.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In English records, surnames drawn from celestial words like Sun, Moon, and Star were noted as striking examples of name-making from ordinary vocabulary.
From the historical record
“nusson = Magnus's Son [Lat. magnus, great -|- O.N. sun-r'] Magnus was adopted by the Norsemen as a name out of admiration for Charle- magne (Carolus Magnus).”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)