NameCensus.

UK surname

Dornan

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic name "Ó Dornaín" meaning "descendant of the dornán" (a derogatory term for a stout person).

In the 1881 census there were 169 people recorded with the Dornan surname, ranking it #14,324 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 943, ranked #6,083, up from #14,324 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hull Holy Trinity, Govan Combination and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Dundyvan, Shawhead and Whifflet and Hillpark.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dornan is 943 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 458.0%.

1881 census count

169

Ranked #14,324

Modern count

943

2016, ranked #6,083

Peak year

2016

943 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dornan had 169 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,324 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 943 in 2016, ranked #6,083.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 321 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Dornan surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dornan surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dornan 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 94 #17,837
1861 historical 73 #24,492
1881 historical 169 #14,324
1891 historical 226 #13,668
1901 historical 321 #11,118
1911 historical 156 #17,421
1997 modern 775 #6,709
1998 modern 817 #6,648
1999 modern 821 #6,663
2000 modern 835 #6,551
2001 modern 836 #6,429
2002 modern 860 #6,411
2003 modern 857 #6,311
2004 modern 847 #6,368
2005 modern 869 #6,192
2006 modern 848 #6,336
2007 modern 846 #6,400
2008 modern 846 #6,451
2009 modern 878 #6,392
2010 modern 896 #6,409
2011 modern 894 #6,351
2012 modern 871 #6,404
2013 modern 909 #6,302
2014 modern 920 #6,274
2015 modern 923 #6,210
2016 modern 943 #6,083

Geography

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Where Dornans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hull Holy Trinity, Govan Combination, London parishes, Edinburgh and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Dundyvan, Shawhead and Whifflet, Hillpark, Oldham and Raploch. 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 Hull Holy Trinity Yorkshire, East Riding
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 London parishes London 3
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Dundyvan North Lanarkshire
2 Shawhead and Whifflet North Lanarkshire
3 Hillpark Stirling
4 Oldham 021 Oldham
5 Raploch Stirling

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dornan

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dornan

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Dornan, 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 Dornan surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Dornan 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Dornan is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Dornan is most concentrated in decile 2 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dornan falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Dornan 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 Dornan, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Dornan

The surname Dornan is of Irish origin, deriving from the Gaelic name O'Dornan, which means "descendant of the brown one." The name is believed to have originated in the early medieval period, likely around the 10th or 11th century, in the northern regions of Ireland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where a certain "Muiredach O'Dornan" is mentioned in an entry from the year 1103. This suggests that the name was well-established in Ireland by the 12th century.

The Dornan surname is closely associated with County Fermanagh, located in the northern part of Ireland. The name is particularly concentrated in the area around Enniskillen, the county town of Fermanagh, where several prominent Dornan families have resided over the centuries.

One notable figure bearing the Dornan surname was Hugh Dornan, a 17th-century Catholic bishop who served as the Bishop of Down and Connor from 1642 to 1644. He was born in County Fermanagh in the late 16th century and played a significant role in the religious affairs of Ireland during a turbulent period.

Another historically significant individual was John Dornan (1824-1900), an Irish journalist and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the constituency of Leitrim from 1880 to 1885. He was a prominent advocate for Irish Home Rule and played an active role in the Irish Parliamentary Party.

In the realm of literature, Patricia Dornan (1935-2005) was an acclaimed Irish novelist and short story writer. She was born in County Fermanagh and is best known for her novel "The Fairies' Dancing Place," which explores themes of Irish identity and folklore.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the Dornan name in a place name context is the townland of Dornanagillew, located in County Fermanagh. This place name, which translates to "the Dornans' church," likely dates back to the early medieval period and reflects the historical presence of the Dornan family in the region.

While the Dornan surname is predominantly Irish, it has also been recorded in Scotland, where it may have been introduced by Irish settlers or have evolved from a related Scottish surname such as Dornoch or Dornock. However, the Scottish instances of the name are less numerous than the Irish occurrences.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dornan families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dornan 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. Lanarkshire leads with 39 Dornans recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.45x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 39 7.45x
Lancashire 27 1.41x
Northumberland 15 6.23x
Midlothian 14 6.45x
Cumberland 13 9.32x
Hampshire 10 3.01x
Kirkcudbrightshire 10 42.66x
Yorkshire 9 0.56x
Wigtownshire 7 32.56x
Wiltshire 6 4.19x
Angus 5 3.33x
Kent 5 0.91x
Surrey 2 0.25x
Ayrshire 1 0.83x
Leicestershire 1 0.56x
Middlesex 1 0.06x
Somerset 1 0.38x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Alnwick in Northumberland leads with 15 Dornans recorded in 1881 and an index of 362.32x.

Place Total Index
Alnwick 15 362.32x
Cambuslang 11 208.33x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 11 12.60x
Urr 10 327.87x
Aldershot 9 80.94x
Barony 9 6.79x
Holy Trinity 9 23.32x
Oldham 9 14.51x
Cleator 8 137.93x
Dalziel 6 106.57x
Govan 6 4.63x
Heapey 6 3000.00x
Hill Deverill 6 7500.00x
Blackburn 5 9.78x
Stoneykirk 5 324.68x
Whitehaven 5 67.29x
Woolwich 5 24.50x
Barrow In Furness 4 15.31x
Dundee 3 5.36x
Rutherglen 3 39.06x
Edinburgh Old 2 151.52x
Glasgow 2 2.15x
Montrose 2 22.00x
Ashby De La Zouch 1 24.04x
Batheaston 1 112.36x
Bothwell 1 7.04x
Cadder 1 25.84x
Cheetham 1 6.98x
Edinburgh Tron Church 1 98.04x
Kirkinner 1 112.36x
Liverpool 1 0.86x
Portsea 1 1.54x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 3.07x
Staines 1 39.06x
Stevenston 1 31.65x
Stoke 1 26.88x
Toxteth Park 1 1.54x
Whithorn 1 60.98x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 6
Sarah 6
Elizabeth 4
Margaret 4
Agnes 2
Alice 2
Catherine 2
Hannah 2
Theresa 2
Annie 1
Emma 1
Eva 1
Jane 1
Kate 1
Louisa 1
Maryan 1
Nora 1
Rebecca 1
Susannah 1
Theodocia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 10
William 9
James 8
Thomas 3
Andrew 2
Charles 2
Dennis 2
Robert 2
Edw. 1
Edward 1
Elkanah 1
Fred 1
Frederick 1
Harry 1
Joseph 1
Oxley 1
Patrick 1
Richard 1
Seth 1

FAQ

Dornan surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dornan surname in 1881?

In 1881, 169 people were recorded with the Dornan surname. That placed it at #14,324 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dornan surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 943 in 2016. That gives Dornan a modern rank of #6,083.

What does the Dornan surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic name "Ó Dornaín" meaning "descendant of the dornán" (a derogatory term for a stout person).

What does the Dornan map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Dornan 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.