2000
#13,724
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,025
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Dunmire
A Scottish locational surname derived from a place meaning "fort by the lake" in Gaelic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,180 Americans carry the last name Dunmire. That puts it at #14,939 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,227 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dunmire 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
2.2K
1 in 157,227
Census rank
#14,939
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,901 bearers of the surname Dunmire in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14939th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunmire, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dunmire
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunmire, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Dunmire 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 Dunmire surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 1,777
- Two or more races3.0% · 57
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dunmire
Dunmire 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
#14,624
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,035
+10 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 900 places
2020
#14,939
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,901
-134 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 315 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,724 | 2,025 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,624 | 2,035 | 0.69 | +10 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 900 places |
| 2020 | #14,939 | 1,901 | 0.64 | -134 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 315 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 Dunmire 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 | #14,624 | #14,939 | -2.2% |
| Count | 2,035 | 1,901 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.64 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dunmire bearers went from 2,035 to 1,901 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 315 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,624 to #14,939.
FAQ
Dunmire surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dunmire?
Name Census estimates that about 2,180 living Americans carry the surname Dunmire. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,227 residents.
How common is Dunmire?
Dunmire ranks #14,939 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,901 people with the surname Dunmire. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,180), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Dunmire.
Has Dunmire become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dunmire went from 2,035 recorded bearers to 1,901. That is a decrease of 134 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,624 to #14,939.
What does the Census say about the background of Dunmire?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunmire, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Dunmire in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (1,777 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dunmire appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Dunmire (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 Dunmire mean?
A Scottish locational surname derived from a place meaning "fort by the lake" in Gaelic. 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 Dunmire (0.64 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 Americans have the surname Dunmire?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.