Durant
An English name derived from the French surname Durant, meaning "persevering" or "enduring".
Name Census estimates that about 191 living Americans carry the first name Durant. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Durant today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Durant births was 1914 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Durant. 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.
People living today
191
~ 1 in 1,794,525 Americans
Peak year
1914
12 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
2019 SSA rank
#10,020
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Durant: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Durant from the 1910s through to the 2010s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 69 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Durant remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Durant 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 Durant during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Durants live
Origin
Meaning and history of Durant
The given name Durant is believed to originate from the Old French language, deriving from the word "durand", which means "enduring" or "lasting". This name has its roots in the Latin word "durabilis", which carries a similar meaning of durability or long-lasting nature.
Durant gained popularity during the Middle Ages in France and other parts of Europe where Old French was spoken. It was often given to male children with the hope and wish that they would have a long and enduring life. The name was commonly found in historical records and documents from the 12th to 15th centuries in regions such as Normandy, Brittany, and other French-speaking areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Durant can be found in the 12th-century Norman chronicle known as the "Gesta Normannorum Ducum" (Deeds of the Norman Dukes), which mentions a nobleman named Durant de Merlerault. In the 13th century, a French scholar and philosopher named Durand of Saint-Pourçain (born around 1275) gained recognition for his works on theology and philosophy.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Durant. In the 14th century, Durant the Elder (c. 1348 - c. 1418) was a celebrated French sculptor known for his intricate carvings and contributions to the Flamboyant Gothic style. Another prominent figure was the Italian humanist scholar and poet, Giovanni Durant (1454 - 1527), who was widely acclaimed for his Latin poetry and translations of ancient Greek texts.
In the 19th century, the name gained further recognition with the American philosopher and writer, William Durant (1861 - 1947), who authored the influential work "The Story of Philosophy". His contemporary, the French novelist and playwright, Marcel Durant (1873 - 1942), was also a prominent figure in the literary circles of his time.
One of the most well-known individuals with the name Durant was the American businessman and co-founder of the Durant Motor Company, William C. Durant (1861 - 1947). He played a significant role in the early days of the automotive industry and was instrumental in the formation of General Motors.
People
Durant + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Durant 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
Durant: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Durant?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 191 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Durant 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 1,794,525 US residents.
Is Durant a common name?
We classify Durant as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 351 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Durant most popular?
The single biggest year for Durant was 1914, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Durant is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Durant a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Durant 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.