Explore the Family Name Dunnigan

The meaning of Dunnigan

Irish: variant of Donegan. Some characteristic forenames: Irish Brendan, Michael Patrick.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Dunnigan in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Dunnigan experienced a minor shift between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname ranked 11,310th in terms of popularity, but by 2010 it had dropped slightly to 11,327th, marking a change of -0.15%. The number of individuals bearing this surname increased from 2,563 in 2000 to 2,786 in 2010, signifying an 8.7% rise. The proportion of people with the Dunnigan surname per 100,000 individuals dipped marginally from 0.95 in 2000 to 0.94 in 2010, a decrease of 1.05%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#11,310	#11,327	-0.15%
Count	2,563	2,786	8.7%
Proportion per 100k	0.95	0.94	-1.05%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Dunnigan

The Decennial U.S. Census also provides insight into the ethnic identity associated with the surname Dunnigan. Between 2000 and 2010, the percentage of Dunnigans identifying as White decreased from 79.52% to 75.95%, while those identifying as Black saw an increase from 17.36% to 18.88%. Notably, the share of Dunnigans with Asian/Pacific Islander ethnicity experienced a slight increase from 0.51% to 0.54%. Those reporting Hispanic ethnicity grew from 1.05% in 2000 to 1.72% in 2010, and those of American Indian and Alaskan Native heritage rose from 0.35% to 0.57%. The most significant growth was seen in Dunnigans identifying with two or more races, which nearly doubled from 1.21% in 2000 to 2.33% in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
White	79.52%	75.95%	-4.49%
Black	17.36%	18.88%	8.76%
Two or More Races	1.21%	2.33%	92.56%
Hispanic	1.05%	1.72%	63.81%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0.35%	0.57%	62.86%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.51%	0.54%	5.88%