2000
#11,745
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,443
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Dunleavy
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Duinnshléibhe, meaning "descendant of Donnsléibhe," derived from the Gaelic elements donn ("brown") and sliabh ("mountain").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,811 Americans carry the last name Dunleavy. That puts it at #12,140 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,933 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dunleavy 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Dunleavy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 121,933
Census rank
#12,140
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,451 bearers of the surname Dunleavy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12140th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunleavy, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dunleavy
The surname Dunleavy originates from Ireland and traces its roots back to the 11th century. It is an Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name O'Dunleavy, which means "descendant of Dunleavy." The prefix "O'" signifies "grandson" or "descendant of" in Irish.
The name Dunleavy is derived from the Irish personal name Donnsleibhe, which translates to "brown mountain" or "brown hillside." This suggests that the original bearer of the name may have lived near a brown-colored hill or mountain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dunleavy can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. It mentions a Donnsleibhe O'Dunleavy who was a notable figure in County Sligo, Ireland, in the 12th century.
The surname Dunleavy has undergone several spelling variations over the centuries, including O'Dunleavy, O'Dunlevey, O'Dunlevy, Dunleavy, Dunleavey, and Dunlevy. These variations reflect the challenges of transliterating Irish names into English and the influence of local dialects.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Dunleavy include:
1. Michael Dunleavy (1615-1678), an Irish Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Raphoe from 1647 to 1678.
2. Christopher Dunleavy (1755-1828), an Irish-born merchant and politician who served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the early 19th century.
3. John Dunleavy (1890-1942), an American track and field athlete who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm.
4. Brendan Dunleavy (1923-1987), an Irish politician and member of Dáil Éireann (Irish Parliament) representing the Sligo-Leitrim constituency.
5. Michael Dunleavy (born 1963), an American politician who served as the Secretary of the New York State Senate from 2011 to 2019.
The surname Dunleavy continues to be prevalent in Ireland, particularly in counties like Sligo, Leitrim, and Mayo, where it has deep historical roots. It has also spread to other parts of the world due to Irish emigration over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dunleavy
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunleavy, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Dunleavy 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 Dunleavy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 2,271
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 69
- Two or more races2.4% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 16
- Black or African American0.6% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dunleavy
Dunleavy 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
#12,351
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,517
+74 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 606 places
2020
#12,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,451
-66 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Up 211 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,745 | 2,443 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,351 | 2,517 | 0.85 | +74 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 606 places |
| 2020 | #12,140 | 2,451 | 0.82 | -66 bearers (-2.6%) | Up 211 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 Dunleavy 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 | #12,351 | #12,140 | 1.7% |
| Count | 2,517 | 2,451 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.82 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dunleavy bearers went from 2,517 to 2,451 (-2.6% change). The surname moved up 211 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,351 to #12,140.
FAQ
Dunleavy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dunleavy?
Name Census estimates that about 2,811 living Americans carry the surname Dunleavy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,933 residents.
How common is Dunleavy?
Dunleavy ranks #12,140 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,451 people with the surname Dunleavy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,811), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Dunleavy.
Has Dunleavy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dunleavy went from 2,517 recorded bearers to 2,451. That is a decrease of 66 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,351 to #12,140.
What does the Census say about the background of Dunleavy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunleavy, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Dunleavy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (2,271 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dunleavy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Dunleavy (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 Dunleavy mean?
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Duinnshléibhe, meaning "descendant of Donnsléibhe," derived from the Gaelic elements donn ("brown") and sliabh ("mountain"). 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 Dunleavy (0.82 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 share the surname Dunleavy?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.