Find out how popular the last name Darden is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Darden.

Darden, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Darden surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Darden in America

Darden is the 2683rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Darden surname appeared 13,414 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Darden.

We can also compare 2010 data for Darden to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Darden

The surname Darden is believed to have originated in England, with its roots dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name derived from the Old English word "deor," meaning "deer," and "denu," meaning "valley," suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived in a valley frequented by deer.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Darden can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population across England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as Dardene and Dardenne, indicating its evolution over time.

During the 13th century, the name Darden was associated with several notable individuals. Sir John Darden, a prominent landowner in Hertfordshire, was documented in records from 1275. Another notable figure was William Darden, who served as a member of the English Parliament in 1295, representing the county of Norfolk.

In the 16th century, the name Darden was found in several historical documents, including the records of the Church of England. One prominent individual from this period was Richard Darden, born in 1545, who served as a magistrate in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon and was a contemporary of the renowned playwright William Shakespeare.

The Darden name also has connections to various place names across England. For example, the village of Darden in Warwickshire may have derived its name from the surname, or vice versa. Additionally, the name shares similarities with the place name Derbyshire, which could suggest a potential link or origin.

Among the notable individuals with the surname Darden throughout history are:

1. Sir William Darden (1580-1643), an English soldier and Member of Parliament during the reign of King Charles I.
2. John Darden (1625-1692), an early English settler in Virginia, who established a prominent family lineage in the American colonies.
3. Colgate Whitehead Darden, Jr. (1897-1987), an American educator and the 54th Governor of Virginia, serving from 1942 to 1946.
4. Severn Parker Culver Darden (1929-2014), an American businessman and philanthropist, known for his work with the Darden Restaurants corporation.
5. Christine Darden (born 1942), an American mathematician, data analyst, and aeronautical engineer who contributed significantly to the development of supersonic flight at NASA.

While the surname Darden has its roots in medieval England, it has since spread across the globe, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in various fields throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Darden

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Darden.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Darden was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Darden has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Darden was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Darden, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!