How common is the surname Dunn?

141,427 people in the United States had the surname Dunn in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,183 Americans. It ranked 197th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Dunn?

Clive Dunn, British actor (1920–2012), followed by James Dunn.

Where is the surname Dunn most common?

Wikidata records people named Dunn in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 2 other countries.

Is the surname Dunn getting more or less common?

More common. 136,955 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 141,427 in 2010, up 3.3%.

The surname Dunn

An Irish patronymic surname, carried by 141,427 people in the United States.

Pronounced /dʌn/ 1 syllable Soundex D500

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Dunn is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

Irish origin

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

Dunn is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 880 Irish surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 141,427 people named Dunn in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,183 Americans. That is up 3.3% since 2000, when the Census counted 136,955.

#197

rank among US surnames

141,427

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+3.3%

change since 2000 (was #185)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#188	Ferguson	146,426	2,109
#189	Nichols	145,584	2,121
#190	Stephens	144,646	2,134
#191	Soto	144,451	2,137
#192	Weaver	143,837	2,146
#193	Ryan	143,452	2,152
#194	Gardner	142,894	2,161

Who is named Dunn

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

80% of people named Dunn identified as white (not Hispanic), 14% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 80%
Black (not Hispanic) 14%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.3%
Two or more races 1.9%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.6%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Dunns

48 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

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, born 1956
Crystal Dunn
American association football player, born 1992
Donald "Duck" Dunn
American bass guitarist, record producer and songwriter (1941–2012)
Nora Dunn
American actress and comedian, born 1952
Debbie Dunn
American sprinter (born 1978)
Teddy Dunn
American actor, born 1980
Kris Dunn
American basketball player (born 1994)
Michael Dunn
American actor and singer (1934–1973)
Trieste Kelly Dunn
American actress, born 1981

Notable Dunns come mostly from the United States (37), the United Kingdom (6) and Australia (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Doyne
Dunne

Surnames that sound like Dunn

Dunn has the Soundex code D500, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code D500.

Other Irish surnames

All 880 Irish surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Dunn come from?: Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Duinn (“descendant of Donn”), a byname from donn (“brown, brown-haired”).
How common is the surname Dunn?: 141,427 people in the United States had the surname Dunn in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,183 Americans. It ranked 197th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Dunn?: In the 2010 Census, 80% of people named Dunn identified as white (not Hispanic), and 14% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Dunn?: Clive Dunn, British actor (1920–2012), followed by James Dunn.
Where is the surname Dunn most common?: Wikidata records people named Dunn in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 2 other countries.
How do you pronounce Dunn?: Dunn is /dʌn/, one syllable.
What type of surname is Dunn?: Dunn is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Dunn getting more or less common?: More common. 136,955 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 141,427 in 2010, up 3.3%.
What are other spellings of Dunn?: Doyne and Dunne.