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Dunning Family History

Dunning Surname Meaning

Scottish: habitational name from a place called Dunning in Lower Strathearn (Perthshire) recorded in 1200 as Dunine and later as Dunyn from Gaelic dùnan a diminutive of dùn ‘fort’.

English: variant of Downing.

Irish: variant of Dineen.

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


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Dunning family from?

You can see how Dunning families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Dunning family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Dunning families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 467 Dunning families living in Yorkshire. This was about 18% of all the recorded Dunning's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Dunning families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Dunning 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 Dunning 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 Dunning. 9% of Dunning men worked as a General Labourer and 72% of Dunning women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Dunning were Colliery Hewer and Household Duties.

View Census Data for Dunning | 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
    9%
  • Builders Labourer
    5%
  • Incapacitated
    5%
  • Colliery Hewer
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    72%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Domestic Servant
    2%
  • Household Duties
    2%

What Dunning family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 116,000 census records available for the last name Dunning. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Dunning census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Dunning

Passenger Lists

There are 17,000 immigration records available for the last name Dunning. 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 Dunning immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 18,000 military records available for the last name Dunning. For the veterans among your Dunning ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Dunning military records

You've only scratched the surface of Dunning family history

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What is the average Dunning lifespan?

Between 1943 and 2004, in the United States, Dunning life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1950, and highest in 1997. The average life expectancy for Dunning in 1943 was 65, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Dunning

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Dunning 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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