2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Dunstone
A surname derived from someone who lived near a grassy hill or mound.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Dunstone. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dunstone 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 Dunstone with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Dunstone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunstone, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dunstone
The surname Dunstone has its roots in England, originating in the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "dun" meaning hill or down and "stan" meaning stone, suggesting that the name initially referred to someone who lived near a prominent rocky hill or outcrop.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dunstone can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named Dunstan in the county of Somerset, which may have been an early variant spelling of the surname.
During the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as Dunstone, Dunstan, and Dunstane in various historical records and manuscripts from the counties of Somerset, Devon, and Dorset, indicating that the name was prevalent in the southwestern regions of England.
Notable individuals bearing the Dunstone surname include Sir John Dunstone (1570-1643), a wealthy merchant and Member of Parliament for the City of London during the reign of King Charles I. Another prominent figure was Robert Dunstone (1732-1812), a renowned botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plant life in the British Isles.
In the 18th century, the Dunstone family established themselves as influential landowners in the county of Gloucestershire. One member, William Dunstone (1764-1839), was a respected magistrate and served as the High Sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1820.
Moving into the 19th century, the Reverend Edward Dunstone (1810-1888) was a prominent clergyman in the Church of England and served as the Vicar of Taunton St. Mary Magdalene in Somerset for over three decades.
Another noteworthy individual was Sir Walter Dunstone (1855-1931), a highly decorated British Army officer who served in the Second Boer War and later became the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Wight from 1920 to 1925.
While the Dunstone surname has its roots in England, over time it has spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora, with families bearing this name now found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dunstone
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunstone, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dunstone 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 Dunstone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 5
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dunstone
Dunstone appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 3,052 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 3,052 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 Dunstone 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 | #157,234 | #154,182 | 1.9% |
| Count | 103 | 103 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dunstone bearers went from 103 to 103 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 3,052 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #154,182.
FAQ
Dunstone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dunstone?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Dunstone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Dunstone?
Dunstone ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Dunstone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Dunstone.
Has Dunstone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dunstone went from 103 recorded bearers to 103. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Dunstone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunstone, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Dunstone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dunstone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (4.9%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Dunstone (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 Dunstone mean?
A surname derived from someone who lived near a grassy hill or mound. 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 Dunstone (0.03 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 surname Dunstone?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.