History of your Surname
Get access to Gunn family records.Start a free trial

Gunn Family History

Gunn Name Meaning

English and Scottish: from the Old Norse personal name Gunnr (based on a word meaning ‘battle’) or perhaps from Gunne a pet form of the Old Norse female personal name Gunnhildr (see Gunnell ).

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


Similar surnames: Hunn, Ginn, Dunn, Nunn, Guin, Gann, Finn, Munn, Genn, Gund

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

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Black & white image of a young woman scientist

Where is the Gunn family from?

You can see how Gunn families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Gunn family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Gunn families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 411 Gunn families living in Ontario. This was about 45% of all the recorded Gunn's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Gunn families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Gunn surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Gunn ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Nurse were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Gunn. 34% of Gunn men worked as a Farmer and 13% of Gunn women worked as a Nurse. Some less common occupations for Americans named Gunn were Student and Income. .

View Census Data for Gunn | 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
    34%
  • Labourer
    7%
  • Laborer
    6%
  • Student
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Nurse
    13%
  • Farmer
    11%
  • Student
    11%
  • Income
    9%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Gunn family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 238,000 census records available for the last name Gunn. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Gunn census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Gunn

Passenger Lists

There are 30,000 immigration records available for the last name Gunn. 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 Gunn immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 34,000 military records available for the last name Gunn. For the veterans among your Gunn ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Gunn military records

You've only scratched the surface of Gunn family history

Discover More

What is the average Gunn lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Gunn life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1940, and highest in 1998. The average life expectancy for Gunn in 1940 was 20, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Gunn

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Gunn family tree

Explore Your Tree

Browse profiles of historical people with the Gunn last name

Search for another surname
Enter last name/surname
Start a 14-Day Free Trial