Given name & surname
Dunbar
“from the castle at the headland”
Dunbar is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “from the castle at the headland.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “from the castle at the headland.”
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1914. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Dunbar through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 76
- 76 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1914
- 6 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 1949. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 112 as a first name in 2020; 25,377 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Dunbar’s family of names
Dunbar has a related form in Dunbaran. Dunbar has a related form in Dunbaren. Dunbar has a related form in Dunbarin.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Dunbar
- Dunbar BartonIrish politician, writer and judge (1853–1937)
- Dunbar Douglas, 4th Earl of SelkirkScottish peer1722–1799
- Dunbar Douglas, 6th Earl of SelkirkScottish Earl (1809–1885)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Dunbar, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Dugald
“a dark stranger”
>99% boys
Dougal
“a dark stranger”
>99% boys
Dorsey
“from the fortress near the sea”
87% boys · 13% girls
Balfour
“from the grazing land”
>99% boys
Kester
“from the Roman army's camp” · “a follower of Christ”
>99% boys
Gilmore
“a servant of the Virgin Mary”
>99% boys
McDonald
“the son of Donald”
>99% boys
Dunn
“a brown-haired man”
>99% boys