2000
#7,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,242
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.57
Rare Last name
Duck
An English occupational surname referring to a person who kept or raised ducks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,242 Americans carry the last name Duck. That puts it at #7,069 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 65,386 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Duck surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Duck with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 65,386
Census rank
#7,069
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,571 bearers of the surname Duck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7069th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Duck, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Duck
Among Census respondents with the surname Duck, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Duck bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Duck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.3% · 3,307
- Black or African American16.6% · 759
- Two or more races4.6% · 208
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 200
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 47
Timeline
Historical Census data for Duck
Duck appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#7,367
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,521
+279 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.53
Rank movement Down 114 places
2020
#7,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,571
+50 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.53
Rank movement Up 298 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,253 | 4,242 | 1.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,367 | 4,521 | 1.53 | +279 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 114 places |
| 2020 | #7,069 | 4,571 | 1.53 | +50 bearers (+1.1%) | Up 298 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Duck surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #7,367 | #7,069 | 4.0% |
| Count | 4,521 | 4,571 | 1.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.53 | 1.53 | -0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Duck bearers went from 4,521 to 4,571 (+1.1% change). The surname moved up 298 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,367 to #7,069.
FAQ
Duck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Duck?
Name Census estimates that about 5,242 living Americans carry the surname Duck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 65,386 residents.
How common is Duck?
Duck ranks #7,069 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,571 people with the surname Duck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,242), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Duck.
Has Duck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Duck went from 4,521 recorded bearers to 4,571. That is an increase of 50 (+1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,367 to #7,069.
What does the Census say about the background of Duck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Duck, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Duck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.3% (3,307 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Duck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.3%), Black (16.6%), Two or More Races (4.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Duck (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Duck mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who kept or raised ducks. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Duck (1.53 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Duck?
Want to know how common the surname Duck is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.