2000
#9,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,251
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Dunagan
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Donnagáin, meaning "descendant of Donnagán," a diminutive of Donnach, meaning "brown-haired chieftain."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,645 Americans carry the last name Dunagan. That puts it at #9,741 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 94,034 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dunagan 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
3.6K
1 in 94,034
Census rank
#9,741
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,179 bearers of the surname Dunagan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9741st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunagan, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dunagan
The surname Dunagan has its origins in the Gaelic language of Ireland and Scotland. It is believed to have derived from the Irish Gaelic word "dun," meaning a fortified hill or fort, and "agan" which is a diminutive suffix, giving the name the meaning of "little fort."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where it mentions a "Dunagan of Armagh" in the year 1036. This suggests that the name was already well-established in Ireland by the 11th century.
In Scotland, the name is thought to have originated in the regions of Argyll and Bute, where it was likely adopted by families who lived near or were associated with a particular fortified settlement or dun. The earliest known Scottish bearer of the name was Malcolm Dunagan, who is mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homages sworn to King Edward I of England.
Throughout the centuries, the name has undergone various spelling variations, including Donegan, Donnegan, Dunnagan, and Dunigan, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings in earlier times.
One notable bearer of the Dunagan name was John Dunagan, an Irish soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. Born in County Donegal, Ireland, in 1744, he served in the Continental Army and was present at the Siege of Yorktown in 1781.
Another individual of historical significance was William Dunagan, a Scottish explorer and navigator who accompanied Sir Walter Raleigh on his expeditions to the Americas in the late 16th century. Dunagan's accounts of these voyages provided valuable insights into the early exploration of the New World.
In the literary realm, the name was borne by the Irish poet and playwright, Michael Dunagan (1840-1920), whose works explored themes of Irish identity and cultural heritage.
The Dunagan surname also found its way into the annals of American history with the figure of James Dunagan (1812-1889), a prominent businessman and landowner in Texas during the 19th century, who played a significant role in the development of the state's economy.
Throughout its long history, the Dunagan name has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, from soldiers and explorers to artists and entrepreneurs, reflecting the diverse experiences and contributions of those who bore this distinctive surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dunagan
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunagan, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Dunagan 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 Dunagan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.3% · 2,711
- Two or more races4.9% · 156
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 140
- Black or African American4.2% · 133
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dunagan
Dunagan 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
#9,384
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,465
+214 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 158 places
2020
#9,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,179
-286 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 357 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,226 | 3,251 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,384 | 3,465 | 1.17 | +214 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 158 places |
| 2020 | #9,741 | 3,179 | 1.06 | -286 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 357 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 Dunagan 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 | #9,384 | #9,741 | -3.8% |
| Count | 3,465 | 3,179 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.06 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dunagan bearers went from 3,465 to 3,179 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 357 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,384 to #9,741.
FAQ
Dunagan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dunagan?
Name Census estimates that about 3,645 living Americans carry the surname Dunagan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 94,034 residents.
How common is Dunagan?
Dunagan ranks #9,741 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 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 3,179 people with the surname Dunagan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,645), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 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 Dunagan.
Has Dunagan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dunagan went from 3,465 recorded bearers to 3,179. That is a decrease of 286 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,384 to #9,741.
What does the Census say about the background of Dunagan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunagan, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Dunagan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.3% (2,711 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dunagan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.3%), Two or More Races (4.9%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Dunagan (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 Dunagan mean?
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Donnagáin, meaning "descendant of Donnagán," a diminutive of Donnach, meaning "brown-haired chieftain." 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 Dunagan (1.06 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 Americans have the surname Dunagan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.