Durville
A masculine French name derived from the words "dur" (hard) and "ville" (town).
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Durville. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Durville today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Durville births was 1975 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Durville. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Durville. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1975
5 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
1975 SSA rank
#5,709
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Durville: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Durville 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 Durville during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Durville
The given name Durville is believed to have originated from the French language, derived from the phrase "dur ville," which translates to "tough town" or "hardy town." It is thought to have emerged as a surname in medieval France, likely referring to individuals residing in a rugged or fortified settlement.
During the Middle Ages, the name Durville gained prominence as a place name associated with various villages and towns across France. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Cartulary of Cluny, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 11th century, which mentions a place called "Durville" located in the region of Burgundy.
While the name Durville does not appear to have any direct references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its French origins and association with fortified settlements suggest a connection to the military heritage and chivalric traditions of medieval Europe.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Durville was Jean de Durville, a French nobleman who lived in the 13th century. He was a prominent figure in the court of King Louis IX, also known as Saint Louis, and participated in the Seventh Crusade to the Holy Land in 1248.
Another notable figure with the name Durville was Captain Jules Dumont d'Urville (1790-1842), a French explorer and naval officer. He led several expeditions to the Pacific and Antarctic regions, contributing significantly to the exploration and mapping of these areas in the early 19th century.
In the realm of literature, Jean-Baptiste Durville (1801-1873) was a French novelist and playwright who wrote numerous works, including the novel "Les Mystères de Paris" (The Mysteries of Paris), which was published in 1842-1843 and became a popular sensation.
During the 19th century, a French military officer named François-Michel Durville (1789-1868) gained recognition for his service in the Napoleonic Wars and the French conquest of Algeria. He rose through the ranks and played a crucial role in the capture of Algiers in 1830.
In the field of art, Pierre Durville (1783-1865) was a French painter and lithographer known for his landscapes and cityscapes depicting various regions of France. His works are part of the collections of several museums, including the Louvre in Paris.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who bore the given name Durville throughout history, showcasing its French origins and its association with various fields, including military, exploration, literature, and art.
People
Durville + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Durville 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
Durville: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Durville?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Durville 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Durville a common name?
We classify Durville as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Durville most popular?
The single biggest year for Durville was 1975, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Durville is about 47 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Durville in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Durville a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Durville 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.
Is Durville still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Durville in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Durville can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Durville as a first name?
Find out how many people have the name Durville on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.