2000
#952
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,745
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.51
Uncommon Last name
Duke
An English noble title adopted as a surname, originally referring to the ruler of a duchy or dukedom.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 38,213 Americans carry the last name Duke. That puts it at #1,036 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,970 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Duke 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 Duke with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
38K
1 in 8,970
Census rank
#1,036
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
33K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 33,324 bearers of the surname Duke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1036th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Duke, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Duke
The surname Duke has its origins in England and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "duc" and the Latin word "dux", both of which mean a leader or commander. The title of "duke" was first used in England during the Norman conquest in the 11th century.
The surname Duke is believed to have originally been an occupational name given to those who held the prestigious position of a duke or served under a duke in some capacity. It may have also been given as a nickname to someone who had a commanding presence or exhibited leadership qualities.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Duke can be found in the Domesday Book, a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Duc" and "Duk", reflecting its French origins.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Duke was Sir Ralph de Duk, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1176. Another early record is of Robert le Duc, who was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1219.
The surname Duke is also associated with several places in England, such as Duke's Wood in Hertfordshire and Duke's Bridge in Gloucestershire. These place names may have contributed to the surname or been named after individuals bearing the name.
Notable individuals with the surname Duke throughout history include:
1. Richard Duke of Gloucester (1452-1485), better known as King Richard III of England.
2. Henry Duke of Suffolk (c. 1516-1551), an English courtier and nobleman.
3. Sir Edward Duke (c. 1619-1677), an English merchant and Member of Parliament.
4. Richard Duke (1658-1711), an English writer and critic, known for his work on classical literature.
5. Ellington Duke (1879-1960), an American baseball player who played for the St. Louis Browns and the Boston Red Sox.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Duke
Among Census respondents with the surname Duke, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Duke 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 Duke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.7% · 27,547
- Black or African American7.6% · 2,540
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 1,409
- Two or more races4.1% · 1,374
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 281
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 173
Timeline
Historical Census data for Duke
Duke 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
#995
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,053
+1,308 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 11.88
Rank movement Down 43 places
2020
#1,036
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,324
-1,729 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 11.15
Rank movement Down 41 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #952 | 33,745 | 12.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #995 | 35,053 | 11.88 | +1,308 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 43 places |
| 2020 | #1,036 | 33,324 | 11.15 | -1,729 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 41 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 Duke 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 | #995 | #1,036 | -4.1% |
| Count | 35,053 | 33,324 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 11.88 | 11.15 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Duke bearers went from 35,053 to 33,324 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 41 positions in the national ranking, going from #995 to #1,036.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Duke
FAQ
Duke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Duke?
Name Census estimates that about 38,213 living Americans carry the surname Duke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,970 residents.
How common is Duke?
Duke ranks #1,036 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 33,324 people with the surname Duke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (38,213), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Duke.
Has Duke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Duke went from 35,053 recorded bearers to 33,324. That is a decrease of 1,729 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #995 to #1,036.
What does the Census say about the background of Duke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Duke, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Duke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.7% (27,547 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Duke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.7%), Black (7.6%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Duke (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 Duke mean?
An English noble title adopted as a surname, originally referring to the ruler of a duchy or dukedom. 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 Duke (11.15 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 Duke?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Duke at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.