2000
#13,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Dunfee
Derived from the Irish surname Ó Donnchaidh, meaning "descendant of Donnchadh," a personal name composed of the elements donn, meaning "brown," and cath, meaning "battle."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,357 Americans carry the last name Dunfee. That puts it at #14,034 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 145,420 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dunfee 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
2.4K
1 in 145,420
Census rank
#14,034
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,055 bearers of the surname Dunfee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14034th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunfee, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dunfee
The surname Dunfee is believed to have originated in Scotland during the medieval period. It is derived from the Gaelic words "dun" meaning hill or fort, and "fiadh" meaning deer or game. This suggests that the name may have been used to refer to someone who lived near a hill or fort where deer were found.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dunfee can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded the names of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name is listed as "Dounfey" in this document.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various Scottish records, often spelled as "Dounfie" or "Downfie." During this time, the Dunfee family is believed to have resided in the regions of Perthshire and Angus.
A notable bearer of the name was Robert Dunfee, who was born in 1560 in Aberdeenshire. He was a prominent landowner and is mentioned in several historical documents related to land disputes and legal proceedings in the late 16th century.
Another individual of note was Isobel Dunfee, born in 1625 in Fife. She was accused of witchcraft during the Scottish witch trials and was tried and acquitted in 1649.
In the 18th century, the name Dunfee began to appear in the records of the Scottish Highlands. One notable figure from this time was Alasdair Dunfee, born in 1712 in Inverness-shire. He was a respected clan leader and played a role in the Jacobite risings of 1715 and 1745.
Another bearer of the name was William Dunfee, born in 1785 in Ayrshire. He was a renowned poet and writer, known for his works celebrating Scottish culture and traditions.
As the centuries passed, the name Dunfee continued to be found throughout Scotland, and some bearers of the name migrated to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia. However, the name's origins and connections to Scotland's history and landscape remain deeply rooted in its etymology and early records.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dunfee
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunfee, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Dunfee 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 Dunfee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.8% · 1,949
- Two or more races2.5% · 51
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dunfee
Dunfee 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
#14,178
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,118
-3 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 977 places
2020
#14,034
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,055
-63 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 144 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,201 | 2,121 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,178 | 2,118 | 0.72 | -3 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 977 places |
| 2020 | #14,034 | 2,055 | 0.69 | -63 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 144 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 Dunfee 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 | #14,178 | #14,034 | 1.0% |
| Count | 2,118 | 2,055 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.69 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dunfee bearers went from 2,118 to 2,055 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 144 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,178 to #14,034.
FAQ
Dunfee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dunfee?
Name Census estimates that about 2,357 living Americans carry the surname Dunfee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 145,420 residents.
How common is Dunfee?
Dunfee ranks #14,034 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,055 people with the surname Dunfee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,357), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Dunfee.
Has Dunfee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dunfee went from 2,118 recorded bearers to 2,055. That is a decrease of 63 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,178 to #14,034.
What does the Census say about the background of Dunfee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunfee, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Dunfee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (1,949 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dunfee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.8%), Two or More Races (2.5%), Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Dunfee (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 Dunfee mean?
Derived from the Irish surname Ó Donnchaidh, meaning "descendant of Donnchadh," a personal name composed of the elements donn, meaning "brown," and cath, meaning "battle." 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 Dunfee (0.69 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 Dunfee?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Dunfee on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.