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

Duck, 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 Duck surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Duck in America

Duck is the 7367th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Duck surname appeared 4,521 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Duck.

We can also compare 2010 data for Duck 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 Duck

The surname Duck is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "duce," which means "duck." This suggests that the name originated as a nickname for someone who may have had a waddling gait or other characteristics associated with a duck.

The earliest recorded instance of the Duck surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Huntingdonshire from 1197, which mention a John Duc. Over time, the name evolved into various spellings such as Doke, Dukke, and eventually Duck.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the Duck surname was William Duck, a prominent merchant from London who lived during the reign of King Edward III (1327-1377). Records show that William Duck was involved in the export trade and had business dealings with merchants in the Low Countries.

In the 15th century, the Duck surname appeared in the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence between members of the Paston family, who were prominent landowners in Norfolk. The letters mention a John Duck, who was a servant in the Paston household.

During the Tudor period, the Duck surname gained further prominence with Sir John Duck (c. 1475-1535), a Member of Parliament and Lord Mayor of London in 1532. Sir John Duck was a wealthy merchant and a prominent figure in the City of London.

Another notable individual with the Duck surname was Arthur Duck (1580-1649), an English jurist and author. He served as the Chancellor of the Diocese of London and wrote several works on English law and ecclesiastical history.

In the 17th century, the Duck surname was associated with the English Civil War. William Duck (c. 1610-1683) was a Puritan minister who supported the Parliamentary cause and served as a chaplain in the New Model Army under Oliver Cromwell.

Throughout history, the Duck surname has been present in various parts of England, particularly in counties such as Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, and Middlesex. The name has also been found in Scotland and Ireland, likely due to migration patterns within the British Isles.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Duck

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

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

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

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