Duane
Of English origin, a variant of a Welsh name meaning "dark", "brown".
Name Census estimates that about 73,786 living Americans carry the first name Duane. It is a predominantly male name (99.1% of registrations). The average person named Duane today is around 62 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Duane births was 1959 (2,979 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Duane. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Although Duane is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 1,014 girls registered with the name since 1880.
- • Compared to the 1950s, recent registration numbers for Duane have dropped to less than 5% of what they once were.
People living today
74K
~ 1 in 4,645 Americans
Peak year
1959
2,979 babies that year
Average age
62
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,073
Tracked since 1885
Gender
Gender distribution for Duane
Out of the 116,398 babies given the name Duane since 1880, 99.1% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Duane as a male name
- Ranked #2,073 in 2024
- 72 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1959 (2,966 births)
Duane as a female name
- Ranked #11,232 in 1989
- 6 female births in 1989
- Peak: 1937 (31 births)
Popularity
Duane: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Duane from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 24,271 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Duane by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Duane during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Duanes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. Michigan, Minnesota, California recorded the most babies named Duane, while Rhode Island, Nevada, Delaware recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 2,177 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Duane
The name Duane originated from the Old Irish Gaelic word "dubhan", which means "little dark one" or "little black one". It is derived from the word "dubh", meaning "black" or "dark". The name first appeared in Ireland as early as the 5th century AD, during the time of the ancient Celts and the spread of Christianity in the region.
Duane was a common name among the Irish and Scottish Gaels throughout the Middle Ages. It was often associated with individuals with dark hair or complexions. The name was also sometimes spelled as "Duana" or "Duana" in early records.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Duane can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The annals mention a man named Duane mac Fiachna, who was a king of Dál Riata (a medieval Scottish kingdom) in the late 6th century.
In the 9th century, a famous Irish monk and scholar named Duane Dál Máil Thuile wrote several religious texts and commentaries on the Bible. He was renowned for his knowledge of Latin and Greek, and his works were widely studied in medieval monasteries.
During the Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century, a notable figure named Duane O'Conor led the resistance against the English forces in Connacht. He was a descendant of the ancient high kings of Ireland and fought bravely to defend his lands until his death in 1168.
In the 16th century, a Scottish nobleman named Duane Stewart was known for his loyalty to Mary, Queen of Scots. He was a member of her privy council and played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation.
Another notable figure with the name Duane was an Irish poet and soldier named Duane Mac an Bhaird, who lived in the 17th century. He composed several poems and ballads that celebrated Irish culture and resistance against English rule.
People
Duane + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Duane as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Duane: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Duane?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 73,786 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Duane going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 4,645 US residents.
Is Duane a common name?
We classify Duane as "Uncommon". It ranks above 99.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 116,398 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Duane most popular?
The single biggest year for Duane was 1959, when 2,979 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Duane is about 62 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Duane a male name?
Yes, 99.1% of people registered as Duane in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.