2000
#3,093
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,742
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.98
Uncommon Last name
Dunaway
From the Gaelic words "dun" meaning fort and "away," likely referring to someone living near a fort or hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,949 Americans carry the last name Dunaway. That puts it at #3,362 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 28,685 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dunaway 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
12K
1 in 28,685
Census rank
#3,362
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,420 bearers of the surname Dunaway in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3362nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunaway, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dunaway
The surname Dunaway is believed to have originated in England, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to be a habitational name derived from the place name "Dunaway," which likely referred to a settlement or village located near a prominent hill or down. This place name is itself a combination of the Old English words "dun," meaning "hill," and "weg," meaning "way" or "path."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Dunaway surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire, a census-like record from the late 13th century. This document mentions a Richard de Dunwey, likely an early spelling variation of the surname.
The Dunaway name also appears in various historical records from the 16th and 17th centuries, including parish registers and tax records. One notable example is John Dunaway, born in 1586 in Wiltshire, England, who later emigrated to Virginia in the early 1600s and became one of the first settlers in the Virginia colony.
Another early bearer of the Dunaway name was William Dunaway, born in 1620 in Somerset, England. He was a prominent merchant and landowner in the colony of Virginia, and his descendants went on to establish several notable Dunaway family lines in the American South.
In the 18th century, the Dunaway surname gained further recognition with the birth of Thomas Dunaway (1731-1810), a British military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. He later settled in Virginia and became a respected landowner and community leader.
Moving into the 19th century, one cannot overlook the legacy of John Dunaway (1810-1892), a prominent politician and lawyer from Tennessee. He served multiple terms in the Tennessee State Legislature and was widely respected for his legal acumen and oratory skills.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals who have carried the Dunaway surname throughout history, illustrating its enduring presence and the diverse roles its bearers have played in various societies and eras.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dunaway
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunaway, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dunaway 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 Dunaway surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 9,184
- Black or African American4.0% · 422
- Two or more races3.9% · 404
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 271
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 88
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 51
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dunaway
Dunaway 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
#3,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,798
+56 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 3.66
Rank movement Down 227 places
2020
#3,362
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,420
-378 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 3.49
Rank movement Down 42 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,093 | 10,742 | 3.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,320 | 10,798 | 3.66 | +56 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 227 places |
| 2020 | #3,362 | 10,420 | 3.49 | -378 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 42 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 Dunaway 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 | #3,320 | #3,362 | -1.3% |
| Count | 10,798 | 10,420 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.66 | 3.49 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dunaway bearers went from 10,798 to 10,420 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 42 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,320 to #3,362.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dunaway
FAQ
Dunaway surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dunaway?
Name Census estimates that about 11,949 living Americans carry the surname Dunaway. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 28,685 residents.
How common is Dunaway?
Dunaway ranks #3,362 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.49 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,420 people with the surname Dunaway. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,949), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.49 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Dunaway.
Has Dunaway become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dunaway went from 10,798 recorded bearers to 10,420. That is a decrease of 378 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,320 to #3,362.
What does the Census say about the background of Dunaway?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunaway, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Dunaway in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (9,184 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dunaway appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Black (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Dunaway (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 Dunaway mean?
From the Gaelic words "dun" meaning fort and "away," likely referring to someone living near a fort or hill. 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 Dunaway (3.49 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 Dunaway?
See how many people are called Dunaway on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.