A Celtic surname, the Dunn family name originates as a Celtic term for dark or brown and chieftain. The Gaelic for is O’Duinn and O’Doinn.

Spellings include Dunne, O’Dunn and O’Dunne. In Ireland the Dunn surname is very common.

Those with the Dunn surname are in Lanarkshire, Midlothian and Aberdeenshire counties of Scotland. The northern half of the England has many families with the Dunn surname, including Staffordshire and Warwickshire counties in the central region.

In the United States the Dunn surname is mostly in New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas, Missouri, Tennessee, California and Illinois.

Famous: Bob Dunn (cartoonist), Trevor Dunn (musician), Jason Dunn (professional football player), Holly Dunn (singer), Jack Dunn (professional baseball player), John Robert Dunn (19th century pioneer in South Africa), Richard Dunn (English professional boxer), Robert Dunn (novelist), John Churchill Dunn (English radio entertainer) and Aaron Dunn (19th century pioneer of amalgamators, blending metals, for mining in the American Dakotas).