# Dunn (surname)

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

A surname from Irish.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Irish |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 141,427 |
| US rank (2010) | 197 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 2,183 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.3% (136,955 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /dʌn/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | Doyne, Dunne |

## Etymology

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Duinn (“descendant of Donn”), a byname from donn (“brown, brown-haired”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Dunn 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) | 80% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 14% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.3% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.8% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.6% |
| Two or more races | 1.9% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Dunn in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and New Zealand.

## People named Dunn

- Clive Dunn, British actor (1920–2012)
- James Dunn, actor, Vaudeville performer (1901–1967)
- Ryan Dunn, American television personality and stunt performer (1977–2011)
- Kevin Dunn, American actor
- Crystal Dunn, American association football player
- Donald "Duck" Dunn, American bass guitarist, record producer and songwriter (1941–2012)
- Nora Dunn, American actress and comedian
- Debbie Dunn, American sprinter (born 1978)
- Teddy Dunn, American actor
- Kris Dunn, American basketball player (born 1994)
- Michael Dunn, American actor and singer (1934–1973)
- Trieste Kelly Dunn, American actress

and 36 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Dunne, Dann, Duane, Duan, Denn, Donn, Dun, Duhon, Dean, Donahue, Downey, Doan.

## 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.