2000
#5,569
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,723
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.12
Uncommon Last name
Duque
Spanish and Portuguese surname derived from the noble title meaning "duke," referring to a nobleman of the highest rank.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,043 Americans carry the last name Duque. That puts it at #3,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,129 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Duque 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 Duque with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 34,129
Census rank
#3,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,758 bearers of the surname Duque in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Duque, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.5%) and White (7.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Duque
The surname Duque originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "duque," meaning "duke," which in turn comes from the Latin word "dux," meaning "leader" or "commander."
The name Duque likely emerged as a title or descriptive name for someone who held a high-ranking position or was associated with nobility or leadership. In Spain, the title of "duke" was one of the highest ranks of the aristocracy, second only to the monarch.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Duque can be found in the Libro de los Fueros de Castilla, a legal code from the 13th century, which mentions individuals with this surname. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Duque. One example is Bernardo de Sandoval y Rojas, Duque de Lerma (1553-1618), who served as the prime minister of Spain under King Philip III. Another is Pedro Téllez-Girón, III Duque de Osuna (1574-1624), a Spanish nobleman and military leader who served as the Viceroy of Sicily and Naples.
In the 16th century, the explorer Juan Ponce de León, who is credited with the first recorded European exploration of Florida, was also known as Juan Ponce de León, Señor de la Florida y Duque de Biminí. This indicates that he held the title of "Duke of Biminí," although it is unclear whether this was an official title or an honorific.
In the 19th century, Manuel Duque de Estrada (1802-1873) was a prominent Cuban writer, poet, and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Republic of Cuba in Arms during the Ten Years' War against Spain.
Another notable figure with the surname Duque is the 20th-century Spanish painter and sculptor, Ángel Duque (1923-2006), known for his abstract and figurative works.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Duque
Among Census respondents with the surname Duque, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.5%) and White (7.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Duque 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 Duque surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino82.2% · 7,202
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.5% · 744
- White7.8% · 683
- Two or more races0.9% · 81
- Black or African American0.4% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Duque
Duque 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
#4,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,058
+2,335 bearers (+40.8%)
Per 100,000 2.73
Rank movement Up 1,162 places
2020
#3,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,758
+700 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 2.93
Rank movement Up 472 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,569 | 5,723 | 2.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,407 | 8,058 | 2.73 | +2,335 bearers (+40.8%) | Up 1,162 places |
| 2020 | #3,935 | 8,758 | 2.93 | +700 bearers (+8.7%) | Up 472 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 Duque 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 | #4,407 | #3,935 | 10.7% |
| Count | 8,058 | 8,758 | 8.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.73 | 2.93 | 7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Duque bearers went from 8,058 to 8,758 (+8.7% change). The surname moved up 472 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,407 to #3,935.
FAQ
Duque surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Duque?
Name Census estimates that about 10,043 living Americans carry the surname Duque. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,129 residents.
How common is Duque?
Duque ranks #3,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,758 people with the surname Duque. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,043), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Duque.
Has Duque become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Duque went from 8,058 recorded bearers to 8,758. That is an increase of 700 (+8.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,407 to #3,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Duque?
Among Census respondents with the surname Duque, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.5%) and White (7.8%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Duque in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (7,202 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Duque appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (82.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (8.5%), White (7.8%). 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 Duque (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 Duque mean?
Spanish and Portuguese surname derived from the noble title meaning "duke," referring to a nobleman of the highest rank. 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 Duque (2.93 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 surname Duque?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.