2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Dunbrack
A Scottish surname derived from a place name meaning "the broken fort".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Dunbrack. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dunbrack 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Dunbrack in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunbrack, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dunbrack
The surname Dunbrack is of Scottish origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to have originated from the lands of Dunbreck, located near Dumbarton in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The name is derived from the Gaelic words "dun" meaning "fort" and "brac" meaning "badger."
The earliest recorded reference to the name Dunbrack can be found in the ancient Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a series of important documents listing those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. This suggests that the Dunbrack family held a prominent position in Scottish society during that time.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named John Dunbrack was mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which were financial records kept by the Scottish government. This provides evidence that the Dunbrack family had established themselves as landowners and influential figures in the region.
The name Dunbrack has also been associated with several historic locations, such as the village of Dunbreck near Dumbarton and the Dunbreck Estate in Argyll and Bute. These place names likely originated from the same Gaelic roots as the surname itself.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the Dunbrack surname. One such person was Sir Robert Dunbrack (1620-1695), a Scottish military officer who served in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and later became a member of the Scottish Parliament.
Another prominent figure was Reverend James Dunbrack (1735-1815), a Scottish minister and author who wrote extensively on religious and philosophical topics. His works include "Discourses on the Book of Genesis" and "Essays on the Principles of Morality and Natural Religion."
In the 19th century, William Dunbrack (1812-1888) was a Scottish businessman and industrialist who played a significant role in the development of the textile industry in the town of Paisley.
In the field of literature, James Dunbrack (1857-1923) was a Scottish poet and playwright known for his works celebrating the landscapes and culture of his homeland.
Lastly, Edith Dunbrack (1896-1976) was a Canadian artist and sculptor who gained recognition for her portraiture and figurative works, many of which can be found in galleries across Canada.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dunbrack
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunbrack, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dunbrack 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 Dunbrack surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 113
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dunbrack
Dunbrack 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-3 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,118 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-5 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,724 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 11,118 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 6,724 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 Dunbrack 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 | #138,304 | #145,028 | -4.9% |
| Count | 121 | 116 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dunbrack bearers went from 121 to 116 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 6,724 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #145,028.
FAQ
Dunbrack surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dunbrack?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Dunbrack. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Dunbrack?
Dunbrack ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Dunbrack. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Dunbrack.
Has Dunbrack become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dunbrack went from 121 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Dunbrack?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunbrack, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Dunbrack in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dunbrack appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Two or More Races (1.7%), Black (0.9%). 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 Dunbrack (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 Dunbrack mean?
A Scottish surname derived from a place name meaning "the broken fort". 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 Dunbrack (0.04 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 have the surname Dunbrack?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.