The Dunne surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,941 people carried this name — #3,974 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 33,000 people counted. That is up 3% from 8,698 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Dunne surname

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

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Dunne» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘at the dun’ — the first of the origins he gives.

An early record he cites: Gilbert atte Dune, Essex, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Dunn, Dun and Dunne.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 258 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 364 births for the Dunne name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 16,200 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The count includes the spelling Dunn.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 248
Munster 55
Ulster 47
Connacht 14

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 94 people named Dunne live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 62
Entre Ríos 18
City of Buenos Aires 14

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 25 people named Dunne.

11 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 3 départements, most often Pas-de-Calais.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 11
Pas-de-Calais 12
Seine-et-Marne 1
Yvelines 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Poland’s population register

23 people named Dunne have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 80 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 8 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Masovian.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Masovian 5
Lublin 4
Warmian-Masurian 4
Lower Silesian 2
Lesser Poland 2
Subcarpathian 2
Pomeranian 2
Greater Poland 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In the Nordic population registers

38 people named Dunne is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 38

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In Scotland’s registers today

Dunne was recorded 19 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1203rd most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 22. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Dunne in American newspapers,
1896–1928.

Newspaper page from The Anaconda Standard carrying the name Dunne
The Anaconda Standard 1896-01-12
Newspaper page from The Poplar Standard carrying the name Dunne
The Poplar Standard 1928-11-01
Newspaper page from The Ronan Pioneer carrying the name Dunne
The Ronan Pioneer 1928-11-01

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 3,317 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Dunne in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

62,050 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Dunne. The most, 11,767, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 19,457
Queensland 17,812
New South Wales 14,933
Western Australia 5,259
South Australia 3,082
Tasmania 1,063
ACT (Canberra) 300
Northern Territory 7

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Dunne.

Who carried it

People named Dunne,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Reginald Dunne
    Reginald Dunne d. 1922 · military personnel
  • James Bernard Dunne d. 1758 · Catholic priest
  • Derek Dunne d. 2000 · drug trafficker
  • Mark J. Dunne d. 2021
  • Bertha Florence Dunne d. 1928
  • Terence Dunne d. 1774

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Dunne,
in the records of 10 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States4,618 records

4,618 records of the Dunne name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,620
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 1,531
  • Other U.S. records 1,467
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Lawrence M. Dunne

    Born 1921 in New York. Enlisted 1942 at New York City; mechanic from Nassau County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1995, buried at Calverton National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Marcel J. Dunne

    Born 1917 in Connecticut. Enlisted 1941 at Hartford; metal worker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1988, buried at Connecticut State Veterans Cemetery, Middletown, Connecticut.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Dunne

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the City of Berlin from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 24; servant. From Co. Leitrim, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 4,618 records for Dunne in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia2,108 records

2,108 records of the Dunne name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 827
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 599
  • Other Australian records 682
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Bridget Dunne

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Duke of Cornwall, sailing from Kingston in 1850. Native of Kildare. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Margaret Dunne

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Hope, sailing from Dublin in 1842. Native of Meath. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1846.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Anne Dunne

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Marion Moore, aged 21; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 2,108 records for Dunne in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada71 records

71 records of the Dunne name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 41
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 15
  • Other Canadian records 15
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Go Dunne

    Came to Ontario in 1875 aboard the Prussian, landing at Quebec, bound for Port Credit, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Garrett Gill Dunne

    Died 1951; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Margaret T. Dunne

    Died 1899 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 71 records for Dunne in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Ireland33 records

33 records of the Dunne name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Julia Dunne

    Died 1950, aged 48; buried at Moylough, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Dunne

    Died 2000, aged 87; buried at Clonburn, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Dunne

    Died 1891, aged 81; buried at Killursa, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 33 records for Dunne in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

New Zealand30 records

30 records of the Dunne name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 27
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  • Other New Zealand records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Noreen Elaine Dunne

    Died 1979, aged 64; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record June Dunne

    Born 1924, died 2001; buried at Rangiora Lawn Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Michael Joseph Dunne

    Died 1986, aged 66; buried at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 30 records for Dunne in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands30 records

30 records of the Dunne name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 15
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 8
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 7
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Anna Maria Geertruid Dünne

    Married in 1840 in Losser; farmer. Died 1843 in Lutte (Losser), aged 28.

    Open Archives, Collectie Overijssel locatie Zwolle (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Lambertus Johannis Dunné

    Married in 1827 in Leeuwarden.

    Open Archives, AlleFriezen (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Catharina Dunne

    Died 1916 in Tegelen, aged 24.

    Open Archives, Gemeentearchief Venlo (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 30 records for Dunne in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom26 records

26 records of the Dunne name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. Dunne

    Lance Corporal, Royal Irjsh Rifles. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record R. Dunne

    Lancashire Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 2 of 26 records for Dunne in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Germany17 records

17 records of the Dunne name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Hermann Dünne

    From Ammeln, Ahaus i. Westf. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 22 July 1915 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 55).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list August Dünne

    From Kalldorf, Brake. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 11 May 1916 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 13).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 2 of 17 records for Dunne in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

France6 records

6 records of the Dunne name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Anne Dunne

    Born 1908 in Great Britain; died 2000 in the United Kingdom.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Auguste Jean Dunne

    Born 1932 in Les Mureaux (Yvelines); died 1992 in Toul (Meurthe-et-Moselle).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 6 records for Dunne in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Belgium1 record

1 record of the Dunne name in Belgium Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Jean Dunné

    Died 1917 in Gent.

    Open Archives, Archief Gent (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Other spellings of this name

The same name, spelled another way.

Spellings that H. B. Guppy (England and Wales, 1890) or the Registrar-General for Ireland (births index of 1890) counted as one name together with Dunne.

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Dunne.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Dunne is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Dunne volume
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