2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Dunnan
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "dùnan" meaning a small hill or fort.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Dunnan. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dunnan 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Dunnan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunnan, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.3%) and Two or More Races (9.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dunnan
The surname Dunnan is believed to have originated in Scotland during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be a locational name derived from the lands of Dunans, which were located near the town of Kilwinning in Ayrshire. The name itself may be derived from the Gaelic words "dun" meaning hill or fort, and "an" meaning little.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a series of homage rolls written during the Wars of Scottish Independence. The rolls list a certain William de Dunnan as a landowner who swore fealty to King Edward I of England.
During the 15th century, the surname appears in various charters and records from the region around Ayrshire. In 1425, a John Dunnan is mentioned in a charter granting lands to the Monastery of Kilwinning.
In the 16th century, the Dunnan family held lands in the parish of Kilbride, near the town of Dunlop in Ayrshire. A notable figure from this era was Robert Dunnan, who was born around 1540 and served as a magistrate in the town of Irvine.
The 17th century saw the Dunnans spread to other parts of Scotland, with some members of the family settling in the county of Fife. One notable individual from this period was David Dunnan, who was born in 1612 and served as a minister in the parish of Anstruther Wester.
In the 18th century, the surname Dunnan began to appear in records from the city of Glasgow. A prominent figure from this time was James Dunnan, who was born in 1735 and became a successful merchant and shipowner in the city.
As the centuries progressed, the surname Dunnan continued to be found throughout Scotland, with various spellings such as Dunnen, Dunning, and Dunan also appearing in historical records. While not a particularly common surname, it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including soldiers, scholars, and professionals.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dunnan
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunnan, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.3%) and Two or More Races (9.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Dunnan 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 Dunnan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.3% · 90
- Black or African American9.3% · 11
- Two or more races9.3% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dunnan
Dunnan 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-12 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,801 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+5 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,690 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 19,801 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.4%) | Up 2,690 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 Dunnan 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 | #146,201 | #143,511 | 1.8% |
| Count | 113 | 118 | 4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dunnan bearers went from 113 to 118 (+4.4% change). The surname moved up 2,690 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #143,511.
FAQ
Dunnan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dunnan?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Dunnan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Dunnan?
Dunnan ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Dunnan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Dunnan.
Has Dunnan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dunnan went from 113 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 5 (+4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Dunnan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunnan, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.3%) and Two or More Races (9.3%). 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 Dunnan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.3% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dunnan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.3%), Black (9.3%), Two or More Races (9.3%). 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 Dunnan (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 Dunnan mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "dùnan" meaning a small hill or fort. 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 Dunnan (0.04 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 Dunnan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.