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

Dunst, 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 Dunst surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dunst in America

Dunst is the 49999th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dunst surname appeared 419 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Dunst.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dunst 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 Dunst

The surname DUNST has its origins in the German language and is believed to have first appeared in the 14th century in the region of Bavaria, Germany. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "tunst," which means "vapor" or "mist." It is thought to have been an occupational name given to those who worked in smoky or steamy environments, such as brewers or blacksmiths.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Augsburg, Bavaria, from the year 1395, where a person named Hans Dunst is mentioned. There are also references to the name in the records of the city of Nuremberg from the 15th century.

In the 16th century, the surname Dunst began to spread to other parts of Germany, as well as to neighboring regions such as Austria and Switzerland. During this time, variations of the name also started to appear, including Dunstl, Dunster, and Dünster.

One notable bearer of the name was Johann Dunst, a German mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1625 to 1701. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and is known for his work on calculating the orbits of comets.

Another prominent figure with the surname Dunst was Johann Georg Dunst, a 19th-century German composer and music teacher who was born in 1822 and died in 1894. He composed numerous works, including operas, symphonies, and chamber music.

In the Netherlands, the name Dunst can be traced back to the 17th century, where it is believed to have been introduced by German immigrants. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the Netherlands is that of Pieter Dunst, a merchant who lived in Amsterdam in the late 1600s.

In the United States, the surname Dunst first appeared in the 18th century, likely brought by German and Dutch immigrants. One of the earliest known bearers of the name in America was Johann Dunst, who was born in Germany in 1745 and immigrated to Pennsylvania in the late 1700s.

Another notable American with the surname Dunst was Kirsten Dunst, the acclaimed actress who was born in 1982 in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. She is known for her roles in films such as "Interview with the Vampire," "Jumanji," and the "Spider-Man" trilogy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dunst

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

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

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

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