# Dunbar (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/dunbar/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A Scottish surname from Scottish Gaelic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Scottish Gaelic |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 26,405 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,335 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 11,693 people |
| Change since 2000 | +6.2% (24,871 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /dʌnˈbɑː(ɹ)/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Dynbaer |

## Etymology

Historically Dynbaer. From Cumbric *dyn (“fort”) + *barr (“hill-crest, summit, top”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Dunbar in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 64% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 30% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.3% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 2.4% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Dunbar in the United States and the United Kingdom.

## People named Dunbar

- Rockmond Dunbar, American actor
- Bonnie J. Dunbar, American engineer and astronaut
- Paul Laurence Dunbar, American poet, novelist, and short story writer (1872–1906)
- Alice Dunbar Nelson, American writer, activist (1875-1935)
- Robin Dunbar, British evolutionary psychologist (1947-)
- James Dunbar, American rower (1930-2018)
- Helen Dunbar, American actress (1863-1933)
- Dorothy Dunbar, American actress (1902-1992)
- Dixie Dunbar, American actress (1919-1991)
- Charles Franklin Dunbar, American economist (1830-1900)
- Helen Flanders Dunbar, American psychiatrist (1902-1959)

## Similar surnames

Dunford, Dombrowski, Donofrio, Dambrosio, Danforth, Danford, Dampier, Dombroski, Dambra, Denver.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.