2000
#2,811
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,699
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.34
Uncommon Last name
Durant
A French occupational surname referring to someone who was hardy or enduring, or who lived near a stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,944 Americans carry the last name Durant. That puts it at #2,883 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,581 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Durant 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 Durant with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,581
Census rank
#2,883
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,160 bearers of the surname Durant in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2883rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Durant, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.0%. The next largest groups are Black (36.1%) and Hispanic (7.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Durant
The surname Durant is of Norman French origin, derived from the Old French word "Durant", which means "enduring" or "lasting". It is believed to have originated as a nickname for someone who was particularly strong or long-lived.
The name first appeared in the 11th century in Normandy, France, and was later introduced to England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The earliest recorded example of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists a William Durant as a landowner in Gloucestershire.
In the 12th century, the name was prominent in the county of Somerset, England, where it was often associated with the place name "Duranteston" or "Durant's Town". One notable figure from this period was Ralph Durant, a wealthy landowner and benefactor of the abbey at Glastonbury in the late 12th century.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name spread across England and appeared in various spellings, such as Durand, Durrant, and Durance. In 1273, a John Durant was recorded as a merchant in the city of London, and in 1327, a Geoffrey Durant served as the Mayor of Bristol.
Throughout the centuries, the Durant name has been associated with numerous notable individuals. One of the most famous was Thomas Durant (1538-1617), an English clergyman and academic who served as the President of Christ Church, Oxford, and was known for his theological works.
Another notable figure was Sir John Durant (1619-1697), an English lawyer and politician who served as the Attorney General of England and Wales during the reign of King Charles II.
In the 19th century, the Durant name gained prominence in the United States, with William West Durant (1801-1859) becoming a prominent businessman and pioneer of the transcontinental railroad. His son, William C. Durant (1861-1947), was the co-founder of General Motors and played a significant role in the development of the American automobile industry.
Other notable individuals with the surname Durant include the American philosopher and writer Will Durant (1885-1981), known for his work "The Story of Civilization", and the British actress Abigail Durant (1985-present), who has appeared in various television shows and films.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Durant
Among Census respondents with the surname Durant, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.0%. The next largest groups are Black (36.1%) and Hispanic (7.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Durant 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 Durant surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.0% · 5,963
- Black or African American36.1% · 4,387
- Hispanic or Latino7.2% · 877
- Two or more races5.1% · 623
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 221
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 89
Timeline
Historical Census data for Durant
Durant 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
#2,889
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,428
+729 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 4.21
Rank movement Down 78 places
2020
#2,883
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,160
-268 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 4.07
Rank movement Up 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,811 | 11,699 | 4.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,889 | 12,428 | 4.21 | +729 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 78 places |
| 2020 | #2,883 | 12,160 | 4.07 | -268 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 6 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 Durant 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 | #2,889 | #2,883 | 0.2% |
| Count | 12,428 | 12,160 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 4.21 | 4.07 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Durant bearers went from 12,428 to 12,160 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,889 to #2,883.
FAQ
Durant surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Durant?
Name Census estimates that about 13,944 living Americans carry the surname Durant. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,581 residents.
How common is Durant?
Durant ranks #2,883 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,160 people with the surname Durant. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,944), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Durant.
Has Durant become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Durant went from 12,428 recorded bearers to 12,160. That is a decrease of 268 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,889 to #2,883.
What does the Census say about the background of Durant?
Among Census respondents with the surname Durant, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.0%. The next largest groups are Black (36.1%) and Hispanic (7.2%). 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 Durant in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.0% (5,963 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Durant appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.0%), Black (36.1%), Hispanic (7.2%). 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 Durant (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 Durant mean?
A French occupational surname referring to someone who was hardy or enduring, or who lived near a stream. 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 Durant (4.07 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 share the surname Durant?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.