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Meaning
Usage
Pronunciation
Famous
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It's a bit hard to pronounce, but I still think that it sounds manly and dignified. It might get mispronounced at school though, as dun-STAN rather than dun-stin. If people hear of it more, then they'll be able to get it right. I wonder why it's not more common. You would think they'd immortalize it since it's the name of a saint. Perhaps it's because this is not the original spelling.
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It is interesting following names down through the ages. When thought about, it is easily understood that spelling followed pronunciation.
Surnames are relatively new so there wasn't any examples to follow. The sounds were written as the scribe interpreted. Often the owner of the name had no actual idea of the spelling as they were illiterate. Truncation and abbreviations were common, and still are, as scribes hastily wrote down what they heard. Elongation of names or any word is relatively uncommon, not unheard of though, but rare enough just the same. The name Dunstan is phonetically similar to Dunstone, Dunston and Dunstane if spoken lazily or with a broad thick accent. So I ask, why is there only an entry for Dunstan in this "Behind the Name" site? The other closest one listed here is "Dunst" which is also a possible truncation of Dunstone. I have seen certification for a 'Dunstone' father, a 'Dunston' son with a 'Dunstan' grandson. I've not yet seen an elongation of a variation of this name.
'Dun' actually refers to the colour of grey or gray as you prefer. The 'stone' is self evident, with one example of a Dun-stone being found as a tithe rock. Now some will take umbrage with this and say it doesn't matter, so I put it to you, when someone misspells your name, does it matter to you?
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Surnames are relatively new so there wasn't any examples to follow. The sounds were written as the scribe interpreted. Often the owner of the name had no actual idea of the spelling as they were illiterate. Truncation and abbreviations were common, and still are, as scribes hastily wrote down what they heard. Elongation of names or any word is relatively uncommon, not unheard of though, but rare enough just the same. The name Dunstan is phonetically similar to Dunstone, Dunston and Dunstane if spoken lazily or with a broad thick accent. So I ask, why is there only an entry for Dunstan in this "Behind the Name" site? The other closest one listed here is "Dunst" which is also a possible truncation of Dunstone. I have seen certification for a 'Dunstone' father, a 'Dunston' son with a 'Dunstan' grandson. I've not yet seen an elongation of a variation of this name.
'Dun' actually refers to the colour of grey or gray as you prefer. The 'stone' is self evident, with one example of a Dun-stone being found as a tithe rock. Now some will take umbrage with this and say it doesn't matter, so I put it to you, when someone misspells your name, does it matter to you?
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I really like this name but would never name a child of mine Dunstan as I'd dread someone calling him Stan as a nickname. Also reminds me of the movie, Dunston Checks In.
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Dunstan Thorn is the father of Tristran Thorn, the hero of Neil Gaiman's novel "Stardust."
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Dunstan "Dunsey" Cass is the arrogant and manipulative brother of Godfrey Cass in George Elliot's novel Silas Marner.
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In Robertson Davies' novel 'Fifth Business,' the main character Dunstable Ramsay adopts this name as an adult. His story mirrors that of St Dunstan.
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https://nrm.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Dunstan
(Information from name #296312 originally submitted by an anonymous user)