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Dunbar Family History

Dunbar Surname Meaning

Scottish: habitational name from Dunbar, a place on the North Sea coast near Edinburgh, named with Gaelic dùn ‘fort’ + barr ‘top, summit’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Dunbar family from?

You can see how Dunbar families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Dunbar family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Dunbar families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 308 Dunbar families living in London. This was about 24% of all the recorded Dunbar's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Dunbar families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Dunbar surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Dunbar ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Dunbar. 17% of Dunbar men worked as a General Labourer and 75% of Dunbar women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Dunbar were Railway Clerk and Unpaid Domestic.

View Census Data for Dunbar | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    17%
  • Builders Labourer
    8%
  • Motor Driver
    5%
  • Railway Clerk
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    75%
  • Private Means
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%

What Dunbar family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 190,000 census records available for the last name Dunbar. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Dunbar census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Dunbar

Passenger Lists

There are 24,000 immigration records available for the last name Dunbar. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Dunbar immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 31,000 military records available for the last name Dunbar. For the veterans among your Dunbar ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Dunbar military records

You've only scratched the surface of Dunbar family history

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What is the average Dunbar lifespan?

Between 1943 and 2004, in the United States, Dunbar life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1943, and highest in 1946. The average life expectancy for Dunbar in 1943 was 29, and 71 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Dunbar

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Dunbar ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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