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

Dungan, 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 Dungan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dungan in America

Dungan is the 8611th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dungan surname appeared 3,819 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Dungan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dungan 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 Dungan

The surname Dungan is of Irish origin, originating in the County Galway region of Ireland during the 16th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "dun" meaning a fort or fortified place, and "gan" meaning without or lacking. The name was likely given to someone who lived near a ruined or abandoned fort or fortified settlement.

The name Dungan first appeared in historical records in the Fiants of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth I, where it was spelled as "Dongane" in 1587. This early spelling variation highlights the name's Irish roots and its evolution over time.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Dungan surname is found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In 1599, the annals mention a "Donnell Dungan" who was involved in a conflict between rival Irish clans.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname Dungan was particularly concentrated in the counties of Galway, Mayo, and Sligo in the western region of Ireland. Some notable individuals bearing the name during this period include Patrick Dungan (1640-1712), an Irish Jacobite and military officer who fought in the Williamite War in Ireland.

In the 19th century, the Dungan surname spread further across Ireland and to other parts of the world due to the Irish diaspora. One prominent figure was John Dungan (1827-1896), an Irish-born Australian Catholic priest and historian who documented the early history of the Catholic Church in Australia.

Another notable individual was William Dungan (1857-1920), an Irish-American labor leader and socialist who played a significant role in the establishment of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) labor union in the United States.

In more recent history, the Dungan name has been associated with several accomplished individuals, such as the Irish actor and director John Dungan (1932-2003), and the American writer and screenwriter Leslie Dungan (born 1943), best known for her work on the television series "The Flying Nun."

While the surname Dungan has its origins in Ireland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with descendants of Irish emigrants carrying the name to countries like the United States, Australia, and Canada.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dungan

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

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 Dungan 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 Dungan 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 Dungan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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