2000
#1,577
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,870
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.74
Uncommon Last name
Dukes
Derived from the noble title of duke, indicating an ancestor who was a ruler or high-ranking nobleman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,415 Americans carry the last name Dukes. That puts it at #1,644 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,039 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dukes 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 Dukes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,039
Census rank
#1,644
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,291 bearers of the surname Dukes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1644th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dukes, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.0%. The next largest groups are White (41.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dukes
The surname DUKES is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "duc" which translates to "duke" or "leader." The name initially referred to someone who held the prestigious title of duke or was in service to a duke.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "le Duc" and "de Duc." These early spellings suggest that the name was initially used as a descriptive byname for someone associated with a duke or ducal household.
In the 12th and 13th centuries, the name began to appear in various records across England, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is listed as "Dukes" in Oxfordshire. During this time, the name also started to be adopted as a hereditary surname by families who had previously used it as a descriptive byname.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir Edward Dukes (c. 1350-1412), a prominent English knight and landowner from Gloucestershire. He served as a member of Parliament and fought in the Hundred Years' War under King Edward III.
Another early example is John Dukes (c. 1470-1544), a wealthy merchant and alderman of the City of London during the reign of Henry VIII. He was a benefactor of several churches and charitable institutions in the capital.
In the 16th century, the name DUKES was also found in the parish records of Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. One entry from 1596 mentions a John Dukes, who may have been a contemporary of the famous playwright.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a prominent Royalist soldier named Sir Robert Dukes (1609-1680) fought for King Charles I. He was knighted for his military service and later became a Member of Parliament.
Another noteworthy figure was Sir Samuel Dukes (1738-1815), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. He rose to the rank of Admiral and was awarded several honors for his distinguished service.
Over the centuries, the surname DUKES has been associated with various localities across England, such as Dukes Priory in Essex and Dukes Wood in Buckinghamshire, further reinforcing its connection to noble or influential individuals.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dukes
Among Census respondents with the surname Dukes, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.0%. The next largest groups are White (41.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Dukes 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 Dukes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American50.0% · 10,639
- White41.5% · 8,834
- Two or more races4.6% · 976
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 678
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 86
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 78
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dukes
Dukes 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
#1,622
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,187
+1,317 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 7.52
Rank movement Down 45 places
2020
#1,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,291
-896 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 7.12
Rank movement Down 22 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,577 | 20,870 | 7.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,622 | 22,187 | 7.52 | +1,317 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 45 places |
| 2020 | #1,644 | 21,291 | 7.12 | -896 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 22 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 Dukes 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 | #1,622 | #1,644 | -1.4% |
| Count | 22,187 | 21,291 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 7.52 | 7.12 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dukes bearers went from 22,187 to 21,291 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 22 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,622 to #1,644.
FAQ
Dukes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dukes?
Name Census estimates that about 24,415 living Americans carry the surname Dukes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,039 residents.
How common is Dukes?
Dukes ranks #1,644 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,291 people with the surname Dukes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,415), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Dukes.
Has Dukes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dukes went from 22,187 recorded bearers to 21,291. That is a decrease of 896 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,622 to #1,644.
What does the Census say about the background of Dukes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dukes, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.0%. The next largest groups are White (41.5%) 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dukes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.0% (10,639 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dukes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (50.0%), White (41.5%), 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 Dukes (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 Dukes mean?
Derived from the noble title of duke, indicating an ancestor who was a ruler or high-ranking nobleman. 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 Dukes (7.12 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 Americans have the surname Dukes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.