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

Dunstan, 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 Dunstan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dunstan in America

Dunstan is the 20394th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dunstan surname appeared 1,303 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 Dunstan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dunstan 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 Dunstan

The surname DUNSTAN originated in England and dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period. It is derived from the Old English words "dun" meaning "hill" and "stan" meaning "stone," suggesting that the name referred to someone who lived near a rocky hill or a stony area.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Dunstanus." This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest.

During the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as Dunstan, Dunstone, and Dunstane. These spelling variations were common before standardized spelling became widespread.

One notable figure in history who bore this surname was St. Dunstan (909-988), an influential English abbot, bishop, and advisor to several kings. He played a significant role in the monastic and ecclesiastical reforms of the 10th century.

In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was Geoffrey Dunstan, a wealthy merchant and alderman of London, who lived from around 1220 to 1290.

Another prominent individual was Sir William Dunstan (1468-1546), a wealthy merchant and Member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII.

The name DUNSTAN is also associated with several place names in England, such as Dunstanburgh Castle in Northumberland, which was built in the 14th century and takes its name from the nearby village of Dunstan.

Other notable figures with the surname DUNSTAN include Winifred Dunstan (1865-1955), a British chemist and one of the first female fellows of the Royal Society, and Sir Wyndham Dunstan (1861-1949), a British chemist and administrator who served as the Director of the Imperial Institute in London.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dunstan

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

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

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

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