Dunning Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Dunning last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Dunning last name
Meaning of the Dunning last name: place name. Dunning is a Scottish and English surname from Dunning in Perthshire, or from Old English Dunning, "son of Dunn", a name meaning dark-haired. It is found in Scotland and the north of England. The psychologist David Dunning, of the Dunning-Kruger effect, carries this last name.
Arms associated with the Dunning name
In Scottish heraldry, coats of arms associated with the Dunning name are personal, each with its own blazon.
Get your full Dunning family history
This is only a glimpse of the Dunning story. The full Dunning history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Dunning coat of arms. Get the full Dunning report.
Dunning name FAQ
What does the Dunning name mean?
Place name. Common variants include Duning.
Where does the Dunning surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Is there a Dunning coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Dunning coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).