NameCensus.

UK surname

Dunsmuir

A surname of Scottish origin referring to someone from the fort on the muir or moor.

In the 1881 census there were 216 people recorded with the Dunsmuir surname, ranking it #12,222 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 522, ranked #9,693, up from #12,222 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Old Cumnock, Blantyre and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Burgh, Eastfield and Silverbank, Burnbank North and Cumnock South and Craigens.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dunsmuir is 526 in 2008. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 141.7%.

1881 census count

216

Ranked #12,222

Modern count

522

2016, ranked #9,693

Peak year

2008

526 bearers

Map years

7

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dunsmuir had 216 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,222 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 522 in 2016, ranked #9,693.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 373 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities.

Dunsmuir surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dunsmuir surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dunsmuir 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 77 #19,998
1861 historical 147 #15,539
1881 historical 216 #12,222
1891 historical 286 #11,497
1901 historical 373 #9,948
1911 historical 18 #31,542
1997 modern 477 #9,652
1998 modern 501 #9,578
1999 modern 513 #9,478
2000 modern 509 #9,504
2001 modern 499 #9,483
2002 modern 517 #9,418
2003 modern 488 #9,657
2004 modern 477 #9,833
2005 modern 510 #9,317
2006 modern 502 #9,463
2007 modern 521 #9,271
2008 modern 526 #9,271
2009 modern 518 #9,588
2010 modern 522 #9,739
2011 modern 517 #9,719
2012 modern 504 #9,803
2013 modern 506 #9,936
2014 modern 521 #9,788
2015 modern 511 #9,864
2016 modern 522 #9,693

Geography

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Where Dunsmuirs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Old Cumnock, Blantyre, Govan Combination, Glasgow and Dalry. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Burgh, Eastfield and Silverbank, Burnbank North, Cumnock South and Craigens, Dundonald, Loans and Symington and New Cumnock. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Old Cumnock Ayr
2 Blantyre Lanark
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 Dalry Ayr

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Burgh, Eastfield and Silverbank South Lanarkshire
2 Burnbank North South Lanarkshire
3 Cumnock South and Craigens East Ayrshire
4 Dundonald, Loans and Symington South Ayrshire
5 New Cumnock East Ayrshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dunsmuir

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dunsmuir

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Dunsmuir, 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

Legacy Communities

Group

Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities

Nationally, the Dunsmuir surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities, within Legacy Communities. This does not mean every Dunsmuir household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Households in these areas often include divorced or separated parents and commonly include children and young adults. The age structure is heavily skewed towards the most advanced age groups. Individuals identifying as members of ethnic minorities are not present in large numbers. Flats predominate, with some terraced, semi-detached, and detached units. Multiple car ownership is low, and housing is predominantly in the private and social rented sectors. Employment is less skewed towards traditional routine industrial occupations. Levels of educational attainment are generally low. The Group occurs principally in the Central Lowlands of Scotland and other Scottish towns.

Wider pattern

These neighbourhoods characteristically comprise pockets of flats that are scattered across the UK, particularly in towns that retain or have legacies of heavy industry or are in more remote seaside locations. Employed residents of these neighbourhoods work mainly in low-skilled occupations. Residents typically have limited educational qualifications. Unemployment is above average. Some residents live in overcrowded housing within the social rented sector and experience long-term disability. All adult age groups are represented, although there is an overall age bias towards elderly people in general and the very old in particular. Individuals identifying as belonging to ethnic minorities or Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups are uncommon.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Dunsmuir is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Dunsmuir is most concentrated in decile 1 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dunsmuir 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 Dunsmuir 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 - British

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

Meaning and origin of Dunsmuir

The surname DUNSMUIR is of Scottish origin, derived from the lands of Dunsmuir in East Lothian, Scotland. The name is believed to have originated in the late 12th century or early 13th century.

The name DUNSMUIR is derived from the Gaelic words "dun" meaning "fort" or "hill" and "muir" meaning "sea" or "ocean". This suggests that the name likely referred to a settlement or piece of land near the sea or a coastal hill fort.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name DUNSMUIR can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Dunsmuir" in this historical record.

In the 16th century, a branch of the DUNSMUIR family settled in the parish of Kilwinning, Ayrshire, where they held the lands of Hilton. Notable members of this branch include John DUNSMUIR (1588-1668), who served as a magistrate in Irvine, and his son Robert DUNSMUIR (1620-1690), a merchant and landowner.

The name DUNSMUIR also has connections to the town of Dunsmuir, California, which was named after Robert Dunsmuir (1825-1889), a Scottish-born businessman and coal mining entrepreneur who became one of the wealthiest men in British Columbia, Canada.

Other notable individuals with the surname DUNSMUIR include:

1. James DUNSMUIR (1851-1920), a Canadian businessman and politician who served as Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia from 1900 to 1909.

2. Joan DUNSMUIR (1892-1918), a Canadian activist and philanthropist who established the Lady Douglas Chapter of the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire in Victoria, British Columbia.

3. Dougald DUNSMUIR (1836-1888), a Scottish-born businessman and coal mining entrepreneur who co-founded the Wellington Colliery Company on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

4. Alexander DUNSMUIR (1879-1945), a Canadian businessman and sportsman who owned and bred thoroughbred racehorses in the early 20th century.

5. Elinor DUNSMUIR (1886-1938), an American actress and socialite who appeared in several silent films produced by the Thanhouser Company in the early 1910s.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dunsmuir families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dunsmuir 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. Ayrshire leads with 129 Dunsmuirs recorded in 1881 and an index of 81.81x.

County Total Index
Ayrshire 129 81.81x
Lanarkshire 50 7.34x
Cheshire 12 2.58x
West Lothian 9 28.36x
Midlothian 7 2.48x
Hampshire 4 0.93x
Angus 3 1.54x
Kirkcudbrightshire 2 6.56x

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 27 Dunsmuirs recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.02x.

Place Total Index
Govan 27 16.02x
Dalry 26 350.40x
Kilmarnock 23 122.54x
Auckinleck 21 430.33x
Old Cumnock 17 484.33x
Bowdon 12 648.65x
Sorn 10 322.58x
Torphichen 9 818.18x
Newton On Ayr 8 169.49x
Stair 8 1194.03x
Rutherglen 7 70.00x
Shettleston 5 81.97x
Colinton 4 126.98x
St Mary Extra 4 114.94x
Edinburgh St Georges 3 51.19x
Forfar 3 28.38x
Glasgow 3 2.48x
Irvine 3 68.49x
Kilbirnie 3 79.16x
Ayr 2 26.88x
Barony 2 1.16x
Cambuslang 2 29.11x
Dalmellington 2 43.10x
Kelton 2 79.68x
Ochiltree 2 185.19x
St Quivox 2 37.52x
Blantyre 1 14.10x
Carnwath 1 23.75x
Coylton 1 44.64x
Hamilton 1 5.26x
Old Monkland 1 3.70x
Riccarton Hurlford 1 36.10x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Wilhelmina 2
Elizabeth 1
Eva 1
Helen 1
Jane 1
Janet 1
Louisa 1
Margaret 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 2
James 2
Francis 1
Henry 1
John 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 Dunsmuir households.

FAQ

Dunsmuir surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dunsmuir surname in 1881?

In 1881, 216 people were recorded with the Dunsmuir surname. That placed it at #12,222 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dunsmuir surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 522 in 2016. That gives Dunsmuir a modern rank of #9,693.

What does the Dunsmuir surname mean?

A surname of Scottish origin referring to someone from the fort on the muir or moor.

What does the Dunsmuir map show?

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