Dunning
An English locational surname referring to someone from a place called Dunning, derived from the Old English for "hill pasture."
According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,545 Americans carry the last name Dunning. That puts it at #3,330 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,322 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dunning surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, 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
13K
1 in 27,322
Census rank
#3,330
2010 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,784 bearers of the surname Dunning in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3330th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunning, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dunning
The surname Dunning originated from the Old English word "dun", meaning a hill or low ridge. It was a topographic name given to someone who lived on or near a hill. The name is derived from the place name Dunning, a village in Perthshire, Scotland, whose name is formed from the same Old English word.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Dunning dates back to the 13th century in Scotland. One of the earliest references to the name can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which mention a John de Dunyn in 1293. The name also appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage letters to Edward I of England, where it is spelled as Dounyng.
In England, the name is found in various records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where it is recorded as Dunnyng. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also mention a Thomas de Dunninges in Oxfordshire.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was William Dunning, a Scottish landowner who lived in the 14th century. He was granted lands in Dunning, Perthshire, by King David II of Scotland in 1362.
Another notable person with the name was Sir John Dunning (1731-1783), an English lawyer and politician. He served as Solicitor General for England and Wales from 1768 to 1770 and was later appointed Lord Chancellor of Great Britain.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Dunning was John Dunning, who was born in England in 1616 and immigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638. He later settled in Newbury, Massachusetts.
Other notable individuals with the surname Dunning include:
1. Samuel Newton Dunning (1838-1922), an American lawyer and politician who served as Chief Justice of the Idaho Supreme Court.
2. Annie Hart Dunning (1847-1935), an American educator and author who founded the New York Cooking School.
3. Albert Elijah Dunning (1857-1923), an American artist and illustrator known for his depictions of American Indian life.
4. William Archibald Dunning (1857-1922), an American historian and professor at Columbia University.
5. John Dunning (1942-2011), an English writer and expert on crime fiction, best known for his reference works on the genre.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dunning
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunning, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Dunning bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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.
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 Dunning surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.6%
- Black or African American13.8%
- Hispanic or Latino2.3%
- Two or more races2.1%
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7%
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5%
Year on year
2000 vs 2010 Census
How has the Dunning surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2000 | 2010 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,130 | #3,330 | -6.4% |
| Count | 10,583 | 10,784 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.92 | 3.66 | -6.6% |
Between the 2000 and 2010 Census, the number of Dunning bearers went from 10,583 to 10,784 (+1.9% change). The surname moved down 200 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,130 to #3,330.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dunning
FAQ
Dunning surname: questions and answers
How common is the last name Dunning?
The surname Dunning holds position #3,330 in the US Census Bureau's surname ranking, with an estimated 12,545 living bearers. It occurs at a rate of 3.66 per 100,000 Americans.
What is the ethnic background of the Dunning surname?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunning, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Hispanic (2.3%). These figures come from the 2010 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Where does this surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These tables list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2010 Census, along with a frequency rate and self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.