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

Duguay, 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 Duguay surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Duguay in America

Duguay is the 19282nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Duguay surname appeared 1,405 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Duguay.

We can also compare 2010 data for Duguay 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 Duguay

The surname Duguay originated in France, specifically in the northwestern region of Brittany. It is believed to have derived from the French word "Dugué," which means "a ford" or "a shallow place in a river or stream." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near or worked at a ford.

The earliest recorded instances of the Duguay surname can be traced back to the 16th century in Brittany. One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was Jean Duguay, who was born around 1550 in the town of Rennes, the capital of Brittany.

In the 17th century, the Duguay name appeared in various records and documents throughout Brittany. One notable individual was Pierre Duguay, a merchant and ship-owner from Saint-Malo, who was involved in the lucrative cod fishing industry in the 1670s.

As the Duguay family spread across France and eventually to other parts of the world, the spelling of the name evolved slightly. Variations such as Dugué, Duguet, and Duguay-Trouin can be found in historical records.

One of the most famous individuals with the Duguay surname was René Duguay-Trouin (1673-1736), a renowned French naval officer and privateer. He achieved numerous victories against the British during the War of the Spanish Succession and was eventually elevated to the nobility by King Louis XIV.

Another notable figure was Jacques-Pierre Duguay (1695-1757), a French architect and engineer who was involved in the construction of several significant buildings in Paris, including the Palais Bourbon, the current seat of the French National Assembly.

In the 19th century, a branch of the Duguay family migrated to Canada, where they settled in various regions, including Quebec and the Maritime provinces. One of the earliest recorded Canadian Duguays was Joseph Duguay, who was born in 1812 in the village of Saint-Gervais, Quebec.

Over time, the Duguay surname has spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, where it is often spelled as "Dugay." However, the origins of the name can be traced back to the historic regions of Brittany in France, where it has been documented for centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Duguay

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

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

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

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