2000
#2,803
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,762
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.36
Uncommon Last name
Duckworth
One who resides near a duck pond or stream, or a duck farmer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,218 Americans carry the last name Duckworth. That puts it at #3,040 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,931 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Duckworth 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 Duckworth with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 25,931
Census rank
#3,040
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,527 bearers of the surname Duckworth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3040th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Duckworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Duckworth
The surname Duckworth has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational name, derived from the place name 'Duckworth' in the county of Lancashire. The name is composed of the Old English words 'ducc' meaning a duck and 'worth' meaning an enclosure or farm.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Duckworth can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire from 1332, where it appears as 'de Duckworth'. This suggests that the name was in use as early as the 14th century, and it likely originated from a family residing in the area known as Duckworth.
The Duckworth surname is also mentioned in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and their holdings commissioned by William the Conquer. However, the spelling in the Domesday Book is slightly different, appearing as 'Ducheworth'.
In the late 16th century, the Duckworth family held considerable influence and owned land in the township of Tottington, near Bury in Lancashire. One notable member of this branch was Sir John Duckworth (1598-1648), who served as a Member of Parliament and played a significant role in the English Civil War.
Another prominent figure with the Duckworth surname was Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth (1748-1817), a British naval officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. He is best known for his victory over the French fleet at the Battle of San Domingo in 1806.
The name Duckworth has also been associated with several literary figures throughout history. One such example is Reverend Richard Duckworth (1833-1900), an English clergyman and author who wrote several books on theology and religious topics.
Other notable individuals bearing the Duckworth surname include Sir Dyce Duckworth (1840-1928), a British physician and medical writer, and John Duckworth (1916-2003), an English actor and writer best known for his roles in British television series and films.
The Duckworth surname has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, such as Duckworth, Duckeworth, Duckworthe, and Duckewurth, reflecting the regional dialects and inconsistencies in record-keeping during earlier times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Duckworth
Among Census respondents with the surname Duckworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Duckworth 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 Duckworth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.6% · 8,828
- Black or African American14.2% · 1,641
- Two or more races4.1% · 470
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 442
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 93
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 53
Timeline
Historical Census data for Duckworth
Duckworth 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
#2,968
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,080
+318 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 4.10
Rank movement Down 165 places
2020
#3,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,527
-553 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 3.86
Rank movement Down 72 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,803 | 11,762 | 4.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,968 | 12,080 | 4.10 | +318 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 165 places |
| 2020 | #3,040 | 11,527 | 3.86 | -553 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 72 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 Duckworth 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 | #2,968 | #3,040 | -2.4% |
| Count | 12,080 | 11,527 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 4.10 | 3.86 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Duckworth bearers went from 12,080 to 11,527 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 72 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,968 to #3,040.
FAQ
Duckworth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Duckworth?
Name Census estimates that about 13,218 living Americans carry the surname Duckworth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,931 residents.
How common is Duckworth?
Duckworth ranks #3,040 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,527 people with the surname Duckworth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,218), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Duckworth.
Has Duckworth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Duckworth went from 12,080 recorded bearers to 11,527. That is a decrease of 553 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,968 to #3,040.
What does the Census say about the background of Duckworth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Duckworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Duckworth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.6% (8,828 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Duckworth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.6%), Black (14.2%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Duckworth (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 Duckworth mean?
One who resides near a duck pond or stream, or a duck farmer. 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 Duckworth (3.86 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 Duckworth?
If you just want to know how many people are called Duckworth, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.