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Dunlan Family History

Dunlan Name Meaning

Historically, surnames evolved as a way to sort people into groups - by occupation, place of origin, clan affiliation, patronage, parentage, adoption, and even physical characteristics (like red hair). Many of the modern surnames in the dictionary can be traced back to Britain and Ireland.


Similar surnames: Duncan, Dungan, Dunman, Dunlay, Dunlap, Donlan, Dunstan, Duan, Dunlop

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Dunlan family from?

You can see how Dunlan families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Dunlan family name was found in the USA, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Dunlan families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there was 1 Dunlan family living in New York. This was about 50% of all the recorded Dunlan's in USA. New York and 1 other state had the highest population of Dunlan families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Dunlan surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Dunlan ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Cook were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Dunlan. 45% of Dunlan men worked as a Farmer and 20% of Dunlan women worked as a Cook. Some less common occupations for Americans named Dunlan were Manager and Saleslady. .

View Census Data for Dunlan | 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 1940

  • Farmer
    45%
  • Laborer
    34%
  • Manager
    23%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Cook
    20%
  • File Clerk
    20%
  • Secretary
    20%
  • Saleslady
    20%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Dunlan family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 558 census records available for the last name Dunlan. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Dunlan census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Dunlan

Passenger Lists

There are 111 immigration records available for the last name Dunlan. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 37 military records available for the last name Dunlan. For the veterans among your Dunlan ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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