Darke last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Darke

A locational surname originating from the English counties of Staffordshire or Derbyshire.

Darke, 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 Darke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Darke in America

Darke is the 50564th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Darke surname appeared 413 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Darke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Darke 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 50564 49767 1.59%
Count 413 396 4.20%
Proportion per 100k 0.14 0.15 -6.90%

The history of the last name Darke

The surname Darke is of English origin, with roots dating back to the medieval era. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "dearc," meaning "dark" or "swarthy," and was likely initially used as a nickname for someone with a dark complexion or hair color.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Derche" in the county of Lincolnshire. This historical document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, provides a valuable record of landowners and tenants in England during the 11th century.

As the name spread across England, it evolved into various spellings, including Darke, Derke, and Derk. Some of these variations may have been influenced by the Old English word "derc," meaning "obscure" or "hidden," further adding to the name's connotations.

The presence of the name Darke can also be traced to place names, such as Darke County in Ohio, United States, which was named after General William Darke, a Revolutionary War officer born in Pennsylvania in 1736.

Notable individuals bearing the surname Darke throughout history include:

  1. Sir Thomas Darke (c. 1495-1561), an English politician and landowner who served as Sheriff of Hertfordshire.
  2. William Darke (1736-1801), an American military officer and frontiersman during the Revolutionary War, for whom Darke County, Ohio, was named.
  3. Eliza Darke (1749-1815), an English diarist and author known for her vivid accounts of life in Georgian England.
  4. Thomas Darke (1782-1857), an English mathematician and astronomer who contributed to the study of celestial mechanics.
  5. Agatha Darke (1855-1932), a British suffragette and activist who campaigned for women's rights and social reforms in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

While the surname Darke may have originated as a nickname describing physical appearance, it has since evolved into a distinctive and enduring family name, leaving its mark on historical records, place names, and the lives of notable individuals throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Darke

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

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 Darke was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 84.02% 347
Non-Hispanic Black Only 6.78% 28
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 5.08% 21
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 3.39% 14

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 Darke has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 84.02% 83.59% 0.51%
Black 6.78% 9.09% -29.11%
Asian and Pacific Islander 5.08% 3.79% 29.09%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 3.39% 2.53% 29.05%

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 Darke was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

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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!

"Darke last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on August 2, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/darke-surname-popularity/.

"Darke last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/darke-surname-popularity/. Accessed 2 August, 2025

Darke last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/darke-surname-popularity/.

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