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Dunning Family History

Dunning Name 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: Denning, Downing, Dinning, Durning, Running, Gunning, Canning

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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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 1911 there were 113 Dunning families living in Ontario. This was about 42% of all the recorded Dunning's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Dunning families in 1911.
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.

What did your Dunning ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Dunning. 45% of Dunning men worked as a Farmer and 29% of Dunning women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Dunning were Income and Student. .

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 1921

  • Farmer
    45%
  • Labourer
    14%
  • Laborer
    7%
  • Income
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Housekeeper
    29%
  • Stenographer
    15%
  • Clerk
    11%
  • Student
    11%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

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 Canadian 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 Canada, 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

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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

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