NameCensus.

UK surname

Dooner

A surname derived from an English placename meaning "hill dweller".

In the 1881 census there were 46 people recorded with the Dooner surname, ranking it #27,188 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 286, ranked #15,240, up from #27,188 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Manchester, Selkirk and Flintshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dooner is 309 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 521.7%.

1881 census count

46

Ranked #27,188

Modern count

286

2016, ranked #15,240

Peak year

2010

309 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dooner had 46 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #27,188 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 286 in 2016, ranked #15,240.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 59 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Dooner surname distribution map

The map shows where the Dooner surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Dooner surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Dooner over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 24 #29,038
1861 historical 40 #28,970
1881 historical 46 #27,188
1891 historical 58 #29,439
1901 historical 59 #27,609
1911 historical 52 #27,620
1997 modern 279 #14,175
1998 modern 289 #14,208
1999 modern 296 #14,081
2000 modern 288 #14,312
2001 modern 280 #14,364
2002 modern 288 #14,373
2003 modern 274 #14,680
2004 modern 278 #14,609
2005 modern 284 #14,306
2006 modern 298 #13,973
2007 modern 297 #14,135
2008 modern 302 #14,069
2009 modern 306 #14,218
2010 modern 309 #14,420
2011 modern 305 #14,439
2012 modern 295 #14,670
2013 modern 301 #14,718
2014 modern 299 #14,880
2015 modern 291 #15,078
2016 modern 286 #15,240

Geography

Back to top

Where Dooners are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Manchester, Selkirk, Flintshire, Cotswold and Newham. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Manchester 002 Manchester
2 Selkirk Scottish Borders
3 Flintshire 009 Flintshire
4 Cotswold 005 Cotswold
5 Newham 012 Newham

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Dooner

These lists show first names that appear often with the Dooner surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Dooner

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Dooner, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Dooner surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Dooner household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Challenged Inner London Communities

Within London, Dooner is most associated with areas classed as Challenged Inner London Communities, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Resident in some of Inner London’s most over-crowded communities, many families have children and marriage/civil partnership rates are above the Supergroup average. Other adults such as students live in communal establishments. Few residents have Level 4 educational qualifications, levels of unemployment are above the Supergroup average, and employment is concentrated in service occupations such as distribution, hotels and restaurants. Relative to the Supergroup average, fewer residents identify as being of mixed/multiple ethnicities, Black or Other Asian.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Dooner is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dooner falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Dooner is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Dooner, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Dooner

The surname DOONER is believed to have originated in Ireland. It is thought to be an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name "O'Dunair" or "O'Donair", which likely derived from the word "dún" meaning a fortified place or fort.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name dates back to the 16th century. In 1567, a John Dooner was listed as a tenant in county Westmeath, Ireland. Around the same time, a Patrick Dooner was recorded as living in county Cavan.

In the 17th century, the name appeared in various records across Ireland. A Richard Dooner was born in county Meath in 1621. Additionally, church records from 1679 mention a Thomas Dooner baptized in county Kildare.

As Irish families began emigrating in the 18th and 19th centuries, the name spread to other parts of the world. John Dooner, born in 1735 in county Longford, Ireland, later settled in Newfoundland, Canada around 1780.

In the United States, one of the earliest documented instances of the name was Michael Dooner, who arrived in Pennsylvania from Ireland in 1805. Another early American bearer of the name was Patrick Dooner, born in 1810 in county Clare, Ireland, who later lived in Massachusetts.

Some notable individuals with the surname DOONER throughout history include Irish politician and barrister Richard Dowse Dooner (1865-1920), American baseball player John Dooner (1869-1938), and British author and playwright John Millington Synge's mother, Mary Dooner Synge (1830-1908).

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Dooner families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dooner surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 16 Dooners recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.00x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 16 3.00x
Lanarkshire 7 4.82x
Somerset 7 9.69x
East Lothian 5 84.18x
Hampshire 4 4.35x
Middlesex 2 0.45x
Cheshire 1 1.01x
Durham 1 0.75x
Gloucestershire 1 1.14x
Midlothian 1 1.66x
Yorkshire 1 0.22x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Govan in Lanarkshire leads with 7 Dooners recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.50x.

Place Total Index
Govan 7 19.50x
Nailsea 7 2413.79x
Wigan 7 94.09x
Manchester 5 20.88x
Aldershot 4 129.87x
Haddington 4 454.55x
Westminster St James 2 43.38x
Bristol St James In 1 77.52x
Cheadle 1 52.91x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 11.82x
Drypool 1 147.06x
Hulme 1 8.99x
Inveresk 1 61.35x
Much Woolton 1 138.89x
Salford 1 6.39x
Stranton 1 22.27x
Yester 1 714.29x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Dooner surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 4
Ann 2
Elizabeth 2
Anne 1
Annie 1
Catherine 1
Ellen 1
Harriet 1
Kate 1
M. 1
Margaret 1
Sophia 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Dooner surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
James 3
John 3
Richard 2
W. 2
J. 1
Michell 1
Pat 1
Patrick 1
Thomas 1
William 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Dooner households.

FAQ

Dooner surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dooner surname in 1881?

In 1881, 46 people were recorded with the Dooner surname. That placed it at #27,188 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dooner surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 286 in 2016. That gives Dooner a modern rank of #15,240.

What does the Dooner surname mean?

A surname derived from an English placename meaning "hill dweller".

What does the Dooner map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Dooner bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.