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

Duku, 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 Duku surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Duku in America

Duku is the 152628th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Duku surname appeared 107 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 Duku.

The history of the last name Duku

The surname DUKU is believed to have originated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly known as Zaire, in Central Africa. It is likely derived from the Kikongo language spoken by the Kongo people, an ethnic group native to the western part of the country.

In Kikongo, the word "duku" is thought to have meant "strength" or "power," suggesting that the name may have been given to individuals who exhibited these qualities or were respected for their physical prowess or leadership abilities within their communities.

While the exact origins of the name are uncertain, some historians have speculated that it may have been associated with local chieftains or warriors in the region during the 16th and 17th centuries, when the Kingdom of Kongo was at its peak.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name DUKU can be found in a Portuguese colonial document from the late 17th century, which mentions a village chief named Nzumba Duku who ruled over a small territory near the present-day city of Boma.

In the 19th century, a prominent figure named Mfwadi Duku was known as a respected leader and diplomat in the Kongo region, playing a role in negotiations with European colonizers during the Scramble for Africa.

Another notable individual bearing the name DUKU was Ntumba Duku, a Congolese artist and sculptor who lived in the early 20th century and was renowned for his intricate wooden carvings depicting traditional Kongo themes and imagery.

During the colonial era, the name DUKU appeared in various administrative records and census documents compiled by Belgian authorities, reflecting its continued use among the Kongo people throughout this period.

In more recent times, several individuals with the surname DUKU have achieved recognition in various fields, such as Moise Duku, a Congolese writer and poet born in 1940, and Madeleine Duku, a Congolese human rights activist and advocate for women's empowerment, born in 1955.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Duku

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

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 Duku 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.

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

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

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