2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Duras
A French surname referring to someone from the town of Duras.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Duras. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Duras 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.
Bearers in the US
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Duras in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Duras, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Duras
The surname Duras originates from the Duras region in the Gascony area of southwestern France. It first emerged as a place name derived from the Gallo-Roman word "durus," meaning "hard" or "stubborn," likely referring to the rugged terrain in that region.
The name can be traced back to the 11th century, appearing in various historical records and manuscripts. One notable early reference is found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Conques, a medieval cartulary from the Abbey of Conques, where a certain Arnaldus de Duras is mentioned in a document dated 1094.
The earliest recorded bearer of the surname Duras was Arnaud de Duras, a French nobleman born around 1090. He played a significant role in the Crusades, participating in the Third Crusade led by Richard the Lionheart in 1190.
Another prominent figure was Jacques-Henri de Durfort, Duc de Duras (1625-1704), a French military leader and courtier during the reign of Louis XIV. He served as a Marshal of France and was awarded the Order of the Holy Spirit, one of the highest honors in the French monarchy.
In the literary world, Claire de Duras (1777-1828) was a French novelist and memoirist known for her influential works such as "Ourika" and "Édouard." Her writings explored themes of identity, race, and social conventions, making her an important figure in early 19th-century French literature.
The Duras name also has connections to the world of cinema through the French filmmaker Marguerite Duras (1914-1996), who gained international acclaim for her avant-garde films and novels, including "Hiroshima Mon Amour" and "The Lover."
Other notable individuals with the Duras surname include Gaston de Durfort, Duc de Duras (1663-1723), a French military leader and diplomat; Jean-Baptiste de Duras (1777-1828), a French general during the Napoleonic Wars; and Robert de Durfort, Duc de Duras (1804-1870), a French politician and writer.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Duras
Among Census respondents with the surname Duras, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Duras 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 Duras surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.2% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino8.9% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.0% · 4
- Black or African American3.0% · 3
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Duras
Duras 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-9 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,261 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-3 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 774 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 19,261 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 774 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 Duras 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 | #156,044 | #155,270 | 0.5% |
| Count | 104 | 101 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Duras bearers went from 104 to 101 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 774 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #155,270.
FAQ
Duras surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Duras?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Duras. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Duras?
Duras ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 101 people with the surname Duras. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Duras.
Has Duras become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Duras went from 104 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Duras?
Among Census respondents with the surname Duras, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%). 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 Duras in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.2% (84 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Duras appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.2%), Hispanic (8.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%). 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 Duras (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 Duras mean?
A French surname referring to someone from the town of Duras. 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 Duras (0.03 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 Duras?
You can see how many people have the surname Duras on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.