NameCensus.

UK surname

Dunnigan

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O'Duinnegain," meaning "descendant of Duinnegan" (a personal name of unknown meaning).

In the 1881 census there were 98 people recorded with the Dunnigan surname, ranking it #19,999 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 236, ranked #17,470, up from #19,999 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Denny, Govan Combination and Workington (Workington), Clossocks. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bathgate West, Bathgate East and Methil Methilhill.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dunnigan is 236 in 2015. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 140.8%.

1881 census count

98

Ranked #19,999

Modern count

236

2016, ranked #17,470

Peak year

2015

236 bearers

Map years

5

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dunnigan had 98 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #19,999 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 236 in 2016, ranked #17,470.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 111 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Dunnigan surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dunnigan surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dunnigan 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 29 #28,082
1861 historical 44 #28,433
1881 historical 98 #19,999
1891 historical 111 #22,421
1901 historical 100 #22,863
1911 historical 46 #28,224
1997 modern 211 #17,048
1998 modern 224 #16,888
1999 modern 215 #17,425
2000 modern 219 #17,195
2001 modern 210 #17,425
2002 modern 214 #17,545
2003 modern 196 #18,358
2004 modern 185 #19,114
2005 modern 194 #18,512
2006 modern 195 #18,564
2007 modern 212 #17,803
2008 modern 214 #17,854
2009 modern 211 #18,377
2010 modern 230 #17,750
2011 modern 227 #17,733
2012 modern 230 #17,479
2013 modern 229 #17,816
2014 modern 232 #17,761
2015 modern 236 #17,477
2016 modern 236 #17,470

Geography

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Where Dunnigans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Denny, Govan Combination, Workington (Workington), Clossocks, 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 Bathgate West, Bathgate East, Methil Methilhill, East Riding of Yorkshire and Middlesbrough. 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 Denny Stirling
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Workington (Workington), Clossocks Cumberland
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bathgate West West Lothian
2 Bathgate East West Lothian
3 Methil Methilhill Fife
4 East Riding of Yorkshire 012 East Riding of Yorkshire
5 Middlesbrough 014 Middlesbrough

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dunnigan

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dunnigan

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Dunnigan is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Dunnigan 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

Dunnigan 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 Dunnigan is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Dunnigan

The surname Dunnigan originated in Ireland and is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Donngán," which means "brown" or "dark-skinned." It is believed to have first appeared in the 12th century in County Tyrone, located in the northern part of Ireland.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. One notable reference is from the year 1182, which mentions a "Donngán Ua Dalaigh," who was a chieftain of the Dál Araidhe, a powerful dynasty in Ulster.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Dunnigan was particularly prevalent in Counties Tyrone and Donegal, where it was often anglicized as "Donnegan" or "Dunegan." It is believed that the modern spelling of "Dunnigan" emerged later, perhaps as a result of pronunciation variations or scribal errors.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Cornelius Dunnigan, a Catholic priest who lived in County Tyrone in the late 16th century. He was a prominent figure during the tumultuous period of the Plantation of Ulster, when large areas of land were confiscated from Irish Catholics and granted to Protestant settlers from England and Scotland.

Another notable figure was Sir John Dunnigan (1585-1658), a wealthy landowner and member of the Irish Parliament who supported the Royalist cause during the English Civil War. He fought alongside King Charles I's forces and was eventually captured by the Parliamentarians in 1644.

In the 18th century, the name Dunnigan was closely associated with the town of Dungannon, County Tyrone, which was once known as "Dunnigan's Town." This connection likely stems from a prominent local family or landowner who played a significant role in the town's development.

During the Great Famine of the 1840s, many Irish families, including those with the surname Dunnigan, emigrated to other parts of the world, particularly the United States, Canada, and Australia. This diaspora helped to spread the name to new regions and establish it as a recognizable surname in various countries.

Other notable individuals with the surname Dunnigan include John Dunnigan (1834-1915), an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota, and James Dunnigan (1933-2022), an American author and military analyst known for his work on military simulations and wargaming.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dunnigan families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dunnigan 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 25 Dunnigans recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.09x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 25 8.09x
Midlothian 21 16.40x
Durham 12 4.22x
Lancashire 10 0.88x
Ayrshire 8 11.18x
Renfrewshire 8 10.80x
Stirlingshire 4 11.34x
Yorkshire 4 0.42x
Angus 2 2.26x
Hampshire 1 0.51x
Monmouthshire 1 1.45x
Perthshire 1 2.33x
Warwickshire 1 0.41x

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 9 Dunnigans recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.77x.

Place Total Index
Govan 9 11.77x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 8 15.53x
Maybole 8 366.97x
Neilston 8 215.05x
Widnes 8 97.80x
Whickham 7 267.18x
Edinburgh Greenside 5 295.86x
Glasgow 5 9.11x
New Monkland 5 54.70x
Shettleston 5 180.51x
Bishopwearmouth 4 16.39x
Edinburgh St Johns 4 493.83x
York St Peter Le 4 2222.22x
Edinburgh Old 3 384.62x
Falkirk 3 36.36x
Liff Benvie 2 14.88x
Aldershot 1 15.24x
Barony 1 1.28x
Birmingham 1 1.24x
Edinburgh New North 1 90.09x
Elvet 1 48.78x
Liverpool 1 1.45x
Perth East Church 1 24.75x
Preston 1 3.29x
St Woollos 1 12.97x
Stirling 1 22.47x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Margaret 6
Catherine 2
Mary 2
Elizabeth 1
Ellen 1
Kate 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 4
Bernard 2
James 2
William 2
Bartholomew 1
Henry 1
Patrick 1
Peter 1
Philip 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 Dunnigan households.

FAQ

Dunnigan surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dunnigan surname in 1881?

In 1881, 98 people were recorded with the Dunnigan surname. That placed it at #19,999 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dunnigan surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 236 in 2016. That gives Dunnigan a modern rank of #17,470.

What does the Dunnigan surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O'Duinnegain," meaning "descendant of Duinnegan" (a personal name of unknown meaning).

What does the Dunnigan map show?

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