2000
#8,830
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,415
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.27
Rare Last name
Dunston
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "Dunna's settlement" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,674 Americans carry the last name Dunston. That puts it at #9,675 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 93,292 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dunston 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Dunston with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 93,292
Census rank
#9,675
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,204 bearers of the surname Dunston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9675th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunston, the largest self-reported group is Black at 61.0%. The next largest groups are White (28.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dunston
The surname Dunston is of English origin and derives from the place name Dunston, which can be found in various locations across England, including Durham, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk. The name itself likely comes from the Old English words "dun" meaning hill or down, and "tun" meaning farmstead or settlement, suggesting a settlement on a hill.
One of the earliest known references to the name Dunston can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as "Dunestune" in Lincolnshire. This entry provides evidence of the name's existence and use in England during the 11th century.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various records, such as the Assize Rolls of Northumberland in 1256, where a certain Robert de Dunston is mentioned. This indicates that by this time, the name had become an established surname, likely adopted by families residing in or originating from the various places called Dunston.
One notable bearer of the surname Dunston was John Dunston (c. 1585-1624), an English explorer and trader who was among the first Englishmen to visit Russia during the reign of Tsar Michael I. His travels and exploits contributed to the establishment of trade relations between England and Russia in the early 17th century.
Another prominent figure with the surname Dunston was Sir John Dunston (1659-1733), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1708-1709. He was also a Member of Parliament for the City of London from 1710 to 1713.
In the realm of literature, the name appears in the works of the renowned English novelist and poet Thomas Hardy (1840-1928). In his novel "Tess of the d'Urbervilles," one of the characters is named Richard Dunston, a prosperous dairyman.
Other notable individuals with the surname Dunston include Sir Humphrey Dunston (1605-1677), an English lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1667 to 1677, and William Dunston (1677-1738), an English poet and satirist known for his works such as "The Paradoxical Discourses" (1719).
While the surname Dunston is not among the most common in England, its long history and association with various notable figures throughout the centuries highlight its enduring presence and significance in English culture and society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dunston
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunston, the largest self-reported group is Black at 61.0%. The next largest groups are White (28.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Dunston 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 Dunston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American61.0% · 1,956
- White28.2% · 904
- Two or more races4.8% · 155
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 138
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dunston
Dunston 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
#8,850
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,702
+287 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 20 places
2020
#9,675
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,204
-498 bearers (-13.5%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 825 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,830 | 3,415 | 1.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,850 | 3,702 | 1.26 | +287 bearers (+8.4%) | Down 20 places |
| 2020 | #9,675 | 3,204 | 1.07 | -498 bearers (-13.5%) | Down 825 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 Dunston 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 | #8,850 | #9,675 | -9.3% |
| Count | 3,702 | 3,204 | -13.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.26 | 1.07 | -14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dunston bearers went from 3,702 to 3,204 (-13.5% change). The surname moved down 825 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,850 to #9,675.
FAQ
Dunston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dunston?
Name Census estimates that about 3,674 living Americans carry the surname Dunston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 93,292 residents.
How common is Dunston?
Dunston ranks #9,675 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.07 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 3,204 people with the surname Dunston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,674), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.07 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 Dunston.
Has Dunston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dunston went from 3,702 recorded bearers to 3,204. That is a decrease of 498 (-13.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,850 to #9,675.
What does the Census say about the background of Dunston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunston, the largest self-reported group is Black at 61.0%. The next largest groups are White (28.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dunston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.0% (1,956 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dunston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (61.0%), White (28.2%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Dunston (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 Dunston mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "Dunna's settlement" in Old English. 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 Dunston (1.07 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 have the last name Dunston?
Find out how many people are called Dunston on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.