Background: The surname `Dunn' is common in the eastern Lowland regions of Scotland, and is said to be derived from the land of Dun, a fort in Angus not far from Montrose. The Gaelic word `donn', meaning `brown,' was and is as common a nickname in the Highlands of Scotland as it is in several countries (in their respective languages) in the world. Brown eventually became a Scottish surname in its own right; so did Donn or Dunn, with Dunn becoming the more prominent spelling. The variation `Dunn' was an early form of the word, meaning in English, `dark' or `swarthy'. Some of the first settlers of this name or some of its variants were: Robert Dunn was a Loyalist who settled in Nova Scotia in 1785. Stephen Dunn was also a Loyalist who settled in Nova Scotia in 1784. Michael Dunn settled had in Stormont County, Ontario by 1871. John Dunn sailed to Maryland in 1668..