Find out how popular the last name Dunay is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Dunay.

Dunay, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Dunay surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dunay in America

Dunay is the 49461st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dunay surname appeared 425 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Dunay.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dunay to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Dunay

The surname Dunay is thought to have originated in Hungary, likely in the region of Dunántúl, which translates to "across the Danube." The name is believed to have derived from the Hungarian word "Duna," meaning the Danube River. This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have lived near or across the Danube River.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Dunay surname can be found in the 15th century Hungarian census records. These records indicate that families with the surname Dunay were primarily concentrated in the western regions of Hungary, near the Danube River. The name may have initially been a descriptive surname, identifying individuals or families who lived on the other side of the Danube River from a particular reference point.

In the 16th century, variations of the spelling, such as Dunay, Dunaji, and Dunayi, can be found in various Hungarian records and documents. This suggests that the name was well-established and had begun to spread to other regions of Hungary by this time.

One notable historical figure bearing the Dunay surname was János Dunay (1768-1833), a Hungarian Catholic priest and writer. He was born in the town of Győr and is known for his contributions to religious literature and his advocacy for Hungarian language rights within the Catholic Church.

Another individual of historical significance was Miklós Dunay (1856-1936), a Hungarian politician and lawyer. He served as a member of the Hungarian Parliament and was actively involved in the development of Hungarian legal and constitutional reforms in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In the realm of art, the name Dunay is associated with Ferenc Dunay (1884-1950), a Hungarian painter and graphic artist. He was renowned for his landscape paintings and illustrations, which captured the natural beauty of Hungary's countryside.

The Dunay surname can also be found in other Central European regions, such as Slovenia and Croatia, where it likely spread from Hungary over time. One notable Slovenian bearer of the name was Franc Dunay (1910-1996), a writer and poet who contributed significantly to Slovenian literature in the 20th century.

While the surname Dunay is not among the most common in Hungary or Central Europe, it has a rich historical background and has been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dunay

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Dunay.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Dunay was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Dunay has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Dunay was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dunay, please contact us.

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