Show ContentsDunnavan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The old family name Dunnavan is thought to have derived from the place name Dunoon (Dunomhainn in Gaelic), located in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, on the Firth of Clyde.

Early Origins of the Dunnavan family

The surname Dunnavan was first found in Ross-shire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rois) a former county, now part of the Council Areas of Highland and Western Isles in Northern Scotland, which emerged from the Gaelic lordship of the Earl of Ross. Today Dunoon is a town situated on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll and Bute but was originally a barony in Argyllshire. 1

Early History of the Dunnavan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dunnavan research. Another 146 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1255, 1265, 1296 and 1606 are included under the topic Early Dunnavan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dunnavan Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Denoon, Dennin, Denning, Denune, Dunnoon, Dunoon, Denoone and many more.

Early Notables of the Dunnavan family

More information is included under the topic Early Dunnavan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Dunnavan migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dunnavan Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Darby Dunnavan, who arrived in Maryland in 1674 2

Canada Dunnavan migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dunnavan Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • John Dunnavan, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • Mr. William Durant U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 3


  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. 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)
  3. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X


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