2000
#9,630
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,097
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Dunton
From an English place name meaning "hill town," referring to a settlement on a hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,261 Americans carry the last name Dunton. That puts it at #10,723 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,107 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dunton 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 Dunton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 105,107
Census rank
#10,723
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,844 bearers of the surname Dunton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10723rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunton, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dunton
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunton, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Dunton 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 Dunton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.5% · 2,290
- Black or African American10.0% · 283
- Two or more races4.7% · 133
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dunton
Dunton 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
#10,215
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,155
+58 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 585 places
2020
#10,723
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,844
-311 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 508 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,630 | 3,097 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,215 | 3,155 | 1.07 | +58 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 585 places |
| 2020 | #10,723 | 2,844 | 0.95 | -311 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 508 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 Dunton 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 | #10,215 | #10,723 | -5.0% |
| Count | 3,155 | 2,844 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 0.95 | -11.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dunton bearers went from 3,155 to 2,844 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 508 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,215 to #10,723.
FAQ
Dunton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dunton?
Name Census estimates that about 3,261 living Americans carry the surname Dunton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,107 residents.
How common is Dunton?
Dunton ranks #10,723 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 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 2,844 people with the surname Dunton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,261), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 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 Dunton.
Has Dunton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dunton went from 3,155 recorded bearers to 2,844. That is a decrease of 311 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,215 to #10,723.
What does the Census say about the background of Dunton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunton, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Dunton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.5% (2,290 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dunton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.5%), Black (10.0%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Dunton (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 Dunton mean?
From an English place name meaning "hill town," referring to a settlement on a hill. 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 Dunton (0.95 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 share the surname Dunton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.