Dundas

Dundas is a toponym and surname of Scottish origin that has been widely used in the British Empire, particularly in Canada. The name is associated with the Dundas family of Scotland, and the most famous bearer in public life was Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (1742–1811), a British politician and administrator whose influence helped shape infrastructure and administrative decisions in his era.

In Canada, several places bear the name. Dundas, Ontario, is a community in the Hamilton metropolitan area that was once an independent town and is now part of the city of Hamilton. Dundas Street is a historic and major arterial road named after Henry Dundas, running through Toronto and extending westward into other parts of Ontario. Dundas County was a historic county in eastern Ontario named for Henry Dundas; its communities are today part of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville.

The Dundas surname has been borne by numerous figures in public life, especially in Britain, where several politicians and naval officers carried the name across the 18th and 19th centuries. The name is also tied to Scottish origins and has been used for various places and institutions within and beyond Canada.

See also Dundas, Scotland; Dundas Street.