Show ContentsDun History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Dun family

The surname Dun was first found in Angus (Gaelic: Aonghas), part of the Tayside region of northeastern Scotland, and present day Council Area of Angus, formerly known as Forfar or Forfarshire, where the name is associated with the place named Dun. "This place by some antiquaries is supposed to have derived its name from the family of Dun, who were its ancient proprietors, and by others, with apparently greater probability, from its elevation above the level of the river South Esk, which forms its boundary on the south." 1

Early History of the Dun family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dun research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1255, 1260, 1268, 1428, 1467, 1642, 1713 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Dun History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dun Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Dunn, Dunne, Dun and others.

Early Notables of the Dun family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was

  • Sir Patrick Dun (1642-1713), an Irish physician, born at Aberdeen, Scotland in January 1642, being second son of Charles Dun, dyer, by his second wife, Katherine Burnet...
  • His granduncle, Dr...
  • Patrick Dun, was principal of Marischal College, Aberdeen, and endowed Aberdeen grammar school2...

Ireland Migration of the Dun family to Ireland

Some of the Dun family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 92 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Dun migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dun Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Peter Dun, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 3
  • John Dun, who landed in Maryland in 1675 3
  • Quintin Dun, who landed in New Jersey in 1685 3
Dun Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Dun, who landed in Carolina in 1705 3
  • Hickthrif Dun, who landed in Virginia in 1711 3
  • Darby Dun, who arrived in Virginia in 1719 3
  • Thomas Dun, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1720 3
  • Patrick Dun, who landed in Virginia in 1723 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Dun Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Robert Dun, who landed in New York in 1803 3
  • Mr. Benjamin Dun, (b. 1802), aged 34, Cornish laborer departing from Falmouth aboard the "Royal Adelaide" arriving in the United States on 11th May 1836 4

Australia Dun migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Dun Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Barclay Dun who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 4th August 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
  • Margaret Dun, aged 19, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Charlotte Jane" 6

West Indies Dun migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 7
Dun Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • William Dun, aged 16, who arrived in St Christopher in 1633 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Dun (post 1700) +

  • Edwin Dun (1848-1931), American diplomat, United States envoy to Japan (1892)
  • Angus Dun (1892-1971), noted United States clergyman and author
  • David Dun, American thriller writer
  • Dennis Dun (b. 1952), Chinese American actor
  • Len Dun (1916-1989), English footballer
  • Jeremy Dun (b. 1973), British author
  • Sir Patrick Dun (d. 1713), famous Irish physician, and president of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland
  • Dmitri Dun (b. 1989), Ukrainian ice dancer
  • William Sutherland Dun (1868-1934), Australian palaeontologist, geologist and president of the Royal Society of New South Wales
  • Tan Dun (b. 1957), Chinese contemporary classical composer
  • ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


The Dun Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Mecum habito
Motto Translation: Dwell with me.


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
  6. South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CHARLOTTE JANE 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/charlottejane1852.shtml
  7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies


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