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

Dunton, 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 Dunton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dunton in America

Dunton is the 10215th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dunton surname appeared 3,155 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Dunton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dunton 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 Dunton

The surname Dunton is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "dun" meaning hill and "tun" meaning a settlement or enclosure. It is believed to have originated in the early medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century, as a locational name for someone who lived near a hill settlement or fortified town.

The name's earliest recorded use can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Duntune" in reference to various locations across England. This suggests that the surname may have initially been adopted by people living in or near these settlements before becoming an inherited surname.

One of the earliest documented instances of the surname is found in the Pipe Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1212, which mention a Robertus de Duntone. In the 13th century, the name appears in various spellings such as Duntoun, Duntun, and Dunton, reflecting the linguistic evolution of the name over time.

Several notable individuals have borne the Dunton surname throughout history. John Dunton (1659-1733) was a prominent English bookseller, publisher, and author, known for his work "The Life and Errors of John Dunton." William Dunton (1668-1736) was a renowned English mathematician and astronomer who contributed to the development of logarithmic tables.

In the 18th century, John Dunton (1742-1827) was a notable English landscape painter and engraver, renowned for his depictions of rural scenes. Thomas Dunton (1765-1844) was a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded several honors for his service.

Another significant figure was John Dunton (1809-1878), a British architect who designed several churches and public buildings in London and the surrounding areas. His most notable work is the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, which is considered a masterpiece of Victorian Gothic architecture.

While the surname Dunton has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, this report focuses solely on the historical origins and significance of the surname itself, rather than its modern geographic distribution or census data.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dunton

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

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

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

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