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

Duarte, 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 Duarte surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Duarte in America

Duarte is the 808th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Duarte surname appeared 42,983 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 15 people would have the surname Duarte.

We can also compare 2010 data for Duarte 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 Duarte

The surname Duarte originates from Portugal, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Portuguese form of the masculine given name Duarte, which itself comes from the Old German name Eduart or Eduard, meaning "rich guard" or "prosperous protector."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Duarte surname is found in the medieval Portuguese royal family. King Duarte I, also known as Edward of Portugal, ruled from 1433 to 1438. He was a skilled poet and writer, renowned for his work "Leal Conselheiro" (The Loyal Counselor), which provided advice on governance and moral conduct.

During the Age of Discovery, the Duarte surname was carried to various parts of the world by Portuguese explorers and settlers. Notable figures include João Duarte, a 16th-century navigator who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his famous voyage around the world, and Diogo Duarte Pacheco, a 15th-century explorer and author of the influential work "Esmeraldo de Situ Orbis" (Emerald of the World's Situation).

In the realm of literature, the Duarte surname is associated with the 16th-century Portuguese poet and playwright, Gil Vicente Duarte. He is considered the founder of Portuguese theater and is renowned for his satirical plays that critiqued society and religious institutions of his time.

Another prominent figure with the Duarte surname is José Napoleón Duarte, the President of El Salvador from 1984 to 1989. He played a crucial role in the Salvadoran Civil War and worked towards establishing democracy in the country.

The Duarte surname can also be traced to the Sephardic Jewish community that settled in Portugal and Spain before the Inquisition. One notable individual was Abraham Duarte, a 17th-century philosopher and scholar who wrote extensively on Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah.

Over the centuries, the Duarte surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Douarte, Doarte, and Duart, reflecting regional linguistic differences within Portugal and other regions where Portuguese settlers established communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Duarte

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

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

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

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