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

Dunmire, 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 Dunmire surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dunmire in America

Dunmire is the 14624th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dunmire surname appeared 2,035 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 Dunmire.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dunmire 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 Dunmire

The surname Dunmire is of Scottish origin and is believed to have originated in the early 16th century. It is derived from the Scottish Gaelic words "dun" meaning hill or fort, and "muir" meaning sea or ocean. This suggests that the name likely originated in a coastal region with hilly or fortified terrain.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dunmire can be found in the Parish records of Lanarkshire, Scotland, where a John Dunmire was mentioned in the year 1537. The name was also found in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of homage rolls from the 13th and 14th centuries, suggesting that the name may have existed earlier than the 16th century records indicate.

The Dunmire surname is closely linked to the Dunbar region of East Lothian, Scotland, where variations such as Dunmure and Dunmoir were commonly used in the 16th and 17th centuries. This area was known for its coastal fortifications and hilly terrain, aligning with the meaning of the name.

One notable figure bearing the Dunmire surname was Sir William Dunmire (1585-1649), a Scottish soldier who fought in the Thirty Years' War and was knighted for his service to King Charles I. Another was Robert Dunmire (1610-1681), a merchant and shipowner from Leith, who played a significant role in the trade between Scotland and the Netherlands.

In the 18th century, the name began to spread beyond Scotland, with records showing Dunmires in various parts of England and Ireland. One example is James Dunmire (1725-1802), an Irish-born merchant who settled in London and became a prominent figure in the city's trade circles.

As the name spread further afield, variations such as Dunmyer and Dunmeyer emerged, particularly in North America, where many Scots-Irish immigrants settled. One notable American bearing the name was John Dunmyer (1755-1832), a Revolutionary War veteran and early settler in Pennsylvania.

Throughout its history, the Dunmire surname has been associated with the coastal regions of Scotland and has maintained a strong connection to its Scottish roots, despite its later spread to other parts of the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dunmire

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

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

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

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