2000
#5,039
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,389
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.37
Rare Last name
Durden
Derived from the Old English words "duru" meaning door and "dun" meaning hill, likely referring to a gatekeeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,599 Americans carry the last name Durden. That puts it at #5,116 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,105 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Durden 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 Durden with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.6K
1 in 45,105
Census rank
#5,116
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,627 bearers of the surname Durden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5116th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Durden, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.1%. The next largest groups are Black (34.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Durden
The surname Durden is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a variant of the Old English word "deor," which means "deer," or "dun," meaning "hill." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a hill frequented by deer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Durdene." This suggests that the name was already well-established in parts of England by the late 11th century.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name appears in various forms in historical records, such as "Durdant," "Durdene," and "Durdenne." These variations suggest that the name was subject to regional dialects and spelling conventions of the time.
One notable individual bearing the name Durden was Robert Durden, a wealthy merchant and alderman of London in the 15th century. He was born around 1420 and held significant influence in the city's governance during his lifetime.
Another prominent figure was Sir William Durden, who lived in the 16th century. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I and served as a member of her Privy Council. Sir William was born in Kent in 1535 and died in 1589.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various parish records throughout England, particularly in counties such as Kent, Sussex, and Hampshire. One notable individual from this period was John Durden, a Puritan minister who was born in 1625 and served as a chaplain during the English Civil War.
The name Durden is also associated with several place names in England, such as Durden Park in Tenterden, Kent, and Durden Farm in Eastbourne, Sussex. These locations likely derived their names from individuals or families bearing the Durden surname in the past.
Other notable individuals with the surname Durden include Henry Durden, a British soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Georgia, and William Durden, an English actor and playwright who lived in the late 18th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Durden
Among Census respondents with the surname Durden, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.1%. The next largest groups are Black (34.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Durden 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 Durden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.1% · 3,785
- Black or African American34.4% · 2,280
- Two or more races4.8% · 316
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 192
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Durden
Durden 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
#5,014
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,007
+618 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 2.38
Rank movement Up 25 places
2020
#5,116
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,627
-380 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 2.22
Rank movement Down 102 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,039 | 6,389 | 2.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,014 | 7,007 | 2.38 | +618 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 25 places |
| 2020 | #5,116 | 6,627 | 2.22 | -380 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 102 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 Durden 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 | #5,014 | #5,116 | -2.0% |
| Count | 7,007 | 6,627 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.38 | 2.22 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Durden bearers went from 7,007 to 6,627 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 102 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,014 to #5,116.
FAQ
Durden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Durden?
Name Census estimates that about 7,599 living Americans carry the surname Durden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,105 residents.
How common is Durden?
Durden ranks #5,116 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,627 people with the surname Durden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,599), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Durden.
Has Durden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Durden went from 7,007 recorded bearers to 6,627. That is a decrease of 380 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,014 to #5,116.
What does the Census say about the background of Durden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Durden, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.1%. The next largest groups are Black (34.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Durden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.1% (3,785 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Durden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.1%), Black (34.4%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Durden (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 Durden mean?
Derived from the Old English words "duru" meaning door and "dun" meaning hill, likely referring to a gatekeeper. 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 Durden (2.22 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 Durden?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.