Dunham was born in New York City. Her father is Carroll Dunham, a painter of "overtly sexualized pop art", and her mother is Laurie Simmons, a photographer and designer. Dunham's father is Protestant, and according to Dunham, a Mayflower descendant. Dunham's mother is Jewish. She has a younger sister, Grace, who is a model and student at Brown University and who starred in Dunham's first film Tiny Furniture.
Dunham graduated from Oberlin College in 2008, where she studied creative writing.
In 2013 Dunham won the Golden Globe award for Best Series, Musical or Comedy, for Girls as well as Best Actress, Comedy or Musical.
