2000
#96,918
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 174
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Duffle
A locational surname derived from the town of Duffel in Belgium.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Duffle. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Duffle 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.
Bearers in the US
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Duffle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Duffle, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Duffle
The surname Duffle originated in Belgium, derived from the town of Duffel, located in the Antwerp province. This name is believed to have originated in the early medieval period, around the 6th or 7th century.
The name Duffel itself is thought to come from the Old Dutch words "duvel" or "duffle," meaning "dell" or "small valley." This suggests that the town of Duffel was likely situated in a small valley or depression in the landscape.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Duffle can be found in the Codex Traditionum Ecclesiae Leodiensis, a cartulary from the 8th century, which mentions a place called "Duffla." This suggests that the name had already been established by that time.
In the 12th century, a nobleman named Arnulf de Duffel was mentioned in a charter from the Abbaye de Tongerloo, indicating that the surname had already been adopted by some families from the area.
During the Middle Ages, the town of Duffel became known for its production of a coarse woolen cloth, which was widely traded and came to be known as "duffel" or "duffle." This fabric was particularly popular for military use, and the term "duffle bag" derived from the name of the town and the material.
One notable bearer of the Duffle surname was Pieter van Duffle, a Flemish painter who lived in the 16th century (c. 1500 - c. 1570). He was known for his religious paintings and altarpieces.
Another person of note was Jan Duffle, a Dutch merchant and explorer who traveled to the East Indies in the early 17th century (c. 1595 - 1650). He is credited with establishing trade relations between the Netherlands and several regions in Asia.
In the 18th century, Jean-Baptiste Duffle (1721 - 1789) was a French composer and music theorist who wrote several treatises on musical theory and composition.
In the 19th century, Auguste Duffle (1821 - 1888) was a Belgian artist known for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life in the Antwerp region.
More recently, Edward Duffle (1920 - 2002) was an American author and journalist who wrote several books on military history and World War II.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Duffle
Among Census respondents with the surname Duffle, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Duffle 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 Duffle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino7.5% · 9
- Two or more races5.8% · 7
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Duffle
Duffle 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
#117,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 148
-26 bearers (-14.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 20,562 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-28 bearers (-18.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,569 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #96,918 | 174 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #117,480 | 148 | 0.05 | -26 bearers (-14.9%) | Down 20,562 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -28 bearers (-18.9%) | Down 24,569 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 Duffle 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 | #117,480 | #142,049 | -20.9% |
| Count | 148 | 120 | -18.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Duffle bearers went from 148 to 120 (-18.9% change). The surname moved down 24,569 positions in the national ranking, going from #117,480 to #142,049.
FAQ
Duffle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Duffle?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Duffle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Duffle?
Duffle ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 120 people with the surname Duffle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Duffle.
Has Duffle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Duffle went from 148 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 28 (-18.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #117,480 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Duffle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Duffle, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Duffle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Duffle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Hispanic (7.5%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Duffle (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 Duffle mean?
A locational surname derived from the town of Duffel in Belgium. 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 Duffle (0.04 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 share the surname Duffle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.