2000
#820
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,516
First available Census row
Per 100,000 14.28
Uncommon Last name
Dunlap
A Scottish habitational surname derived from a place meaning "muddy leap," likely referring to a boggy area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 42,283 Americans carry the last name Dunlap. That puts it at #927 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,106 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dunlap surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
42K
1 in 8,106
Census rank
#927
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
37K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 36,873 bearers of the surname Dunlap in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 927th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunlap, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dunlap
The surname Dunlap has its origins in Scotland, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic words "dun" meaning hill or fort, and "lap" meaning boggy or marshy ground, suggesting that the name originally referred to someone who lived near a marshy or boggy area near a hill or fort.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during his invasion of Scotland. The name is spelled "Dunlop" in this document, indicating that the spelling has evolved over time.
The Dunlap surname is also associated with the Scottish clan Dunlop, which traces its ancestry back to the 12th century and the region of Ayrshire in western Scotland. The clan's ancestral lands were centered around the village of Dunlop, which likely took its name from the same Gaelic roots as the surname.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Dunlap surname was John Dunlop, who was born around 1505 and served as the Secretary of the Scottish Reformation leader John Knox. Dunlop played a crucial role in transcribing and preserving Knox's writings, ensuring their survival for future generations.
Another significant figure in the history of the Dunlap surname was Andrew Dunlop, a Scottish astronomer and mathematician who lived from 1694 to 1742. He made important contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and was a fellow of the Royal Society.
In the 18th century, Francis Dunlap (1730-1799) was a prominent printer and publisher in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He published some of the earliest editions of the works of Benjamin Franklin and was one of the first printers to publish the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
As the Dunlap surname spread beyond Scotland, it also gained a foothold in Ireland, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One such figure was James Dunlop (1793-1848), an Irish novelist and playwright who wrote under the pen name "Paddy Makeshift."
Throughout history, the Dunlap surname has been associated with various place names and locations, such as Dunlop in Ayrshire, Scotland, and the town of Dunlap, Illinois, which was named after one of the early settlers bearing the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dunlap
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunlap, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Dunlap bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Dunlap surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.4% · 26,706
- Black or African American18.7% · 6,877
- Two or more races4.3% · 1,594
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,216
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 240
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 240
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dunlap
Dunlap appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#890
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,063
+547 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 13.24
Rank movement Down 70 places
2020
#927
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,873
-2,190 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 12.34
Rank movement Down 37 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #820 | 38,516 | 14.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #890 | 39,063 | 13.24 | +547 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 70 places |
| 2020 | #927 | 36,873 | 12.34 | -2,190 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 37 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Dunlap surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #890 | #927 | -4.2% |
| Count | 39,063 | 36,873 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 13.24 | 12.34 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dunlap bearers went from 39,063 to 36,873 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 37 positions in the national ranking, going from #890 to #927.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dunlap
FAQ
Dunlap surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dunlap?
Name Census estimates that about 42,283 living Americans carry the surname Dunlap. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,106 residents.
How common is Dunlap?
Dunlap ranks #927 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.34 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 36,873 people with the surname Dunlap. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (42,283), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.34 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Dunlap.
Has Dunlap become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dunlap went from 39,063 recorded bearers to 36,873. That is a decrease of 2,190 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #890 to #927.
What does the Census say about the background of Dunlap?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dunlap, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dunlap in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.4% (26,706 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dunlap appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.4%), Black (18.7%), Two or More Races (4.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Dunlap (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Dunlap mean?
A Scottish habitational surname derived from a place meaning "muddy leap," likely referring to a boggy area. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Dunlap (12.34 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Dunlap?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.