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

Drake, 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 Drake surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Drake in America

Drake is the 549th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Drake surname appeared 61,162 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 21 people would have the surname Drake.

We can also compare 2010 data for Drake 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 Drake

The surname Drake originated from the Old English word "draca" meaning dragon or serpent. It first appeared in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, before the Norman conquest of 1066. Originally, it may have been a nickname or descriptive name for someone who was considered brave or fierce in battle, like a dragon.

The earliest known recorded spelling of the Drake surname dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was listed as Drache and Draco. These early renderings suggest the name may have had Norman French influences as well. In the 12th century, it appeared as Draic in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire.

Drake was a fairly common name in medieval England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Devon. It may have derived from placenames like Drake Hole in Derbyshire or Drakelow in Worcestershire. The oldest known bearer was William Drake, born in Yorkshire in 1190.

A notable early figure was Sir Francis Drake (c. 1540-1596), the famous English sea captain, navigator, and slave trader who circumnavigated the globe between 1577 and 1580. He was born in Devon and achieved renown for his exploits against the Spanish Armada.

Another prominent Drake was Sir William Drake (1609-1690), an English merchant and royalist during the English Civil War. He was Lord Mayor of London in 1667. Michael Drake (1598-1662) was an English politician and landowner who sat in the House of Commons between 1640 and 1653.

Later, Benjamin Drake (1794-1841) was an American pioneer and founder of Cincinnati, Ohio. The surname also has connections to the Drake family of Asher, Hampshire, including Sir Francis Drake (1617-1662), an English royalist officer during the Civil War.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Drake

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

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

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

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