2000
#7,932
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,868
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.43
Rare Last name
Duren
Derived from Dutch, referring to someone who lived near a thorn bush or hedge of thorns.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,977 Americans carry the last name Duren. That puts it at #9,042 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,184 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Duren 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
4.0K
1 in 86,184
Census rank
#9,042
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,468 bearers of the surname Duren in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9042nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Duren, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Duren
The surname Duren has its origins in the Netherlands, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch word "duren," which means "to last" or "to endure," possibly referring to a person's steadfast or resilient nature. The name may also have been influenced by the town of Duren, located in the Rhineland region of Germany, near the Dutch border.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Duren can be found in the Dutch baptismal records from the city of Leiden in the late 1500s. During this period, the spelling variations included Dueren, Duyren, and Duiren. Some historical documents also suggest a connection between the name and the trade of leather tanning, as the process of curing hides required a great deal of endurance and patience.
In the 17th century, the name Duren appeared in various Dutch and German records, such as the Dordrecht court archives and the Cologne city registers. Notable individuals bearing this surname during this time included Joachim Duren (1623-1679), a Dutch merchant and ship owner from Amsterdam, and Hans Duren (1647-1718), a German painter from Nuremberg known for his landscape works.
As the Dutch and German populations migrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas, the surname Duren spread to different regions. In the late 18th century, Johannes Duren (1763-1828), a German-born philosopher and educator, gained recognition for his contributions to the field of education in Prussia.
In the 19th century, the name Duren was found in various parts of Europe and North America. One notable figure was Eugène Duren (1838-1912), a Belgian painter and illustrator known for his depictions of rural life and landscapes. Additionally, William Duren (1856-1924), an American politician and lawyer, served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for the state of Pennsylvania.
Another significant individual with the surname Duren was Rolf Duren (1906-1985), a German-born American mathematician and geophysicist who made significant contributions to the fields of partial differential equations and numerical analysis. He worked at the University of California, Los Angeles, and was a pioneer in the development of modern computational methods for solving complex mathematical problems.
Throughout its history, the surname Duren has been carried by individuals from various backgrounds and professions, reflecting the enduring nature of its meaning and the diverse paths taken by those who bear this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Duren
Among Census respondents with the surname Duren, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Duren 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 Duren surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.7% · 2,347
- Black or African American22.7% · 788
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 159
- Two or more races4.2% · 145
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Duren
Duren 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
#8,254
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,013
+145 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 322 places
2020
#9,042
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,468
-545 bearers (-13.6%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 788 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,932 | 3,868 | 1.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,254 | 4,013 | 1.36 | +145 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 322 places |
| 2020 | #9,042 | 3,468 | 1.16 | -545 bearers (-13.6%) | Down 788 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 Duren 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 | #8,254 | #9,042 | -9.5% |
| Count | 4,013 | 3,468 | -13.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.36 | 1.16 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Duren bearers went from 4,013 to 3,468 (-13.6% change). The surname moved down 788 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,254 to #9,042.
FAQ
Duren surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Duren?
Name Census estimates that about 3,977 living Americans carry the surname Duren. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,184 residents.
How common is Duren?
Duren ranks #9,042 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,468 people with the surname Duren. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,977), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Duren.
Has Duren become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Duren went from 4,013 recorded bearers to 3,468. That is a decrease of 545 (-13.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,254 to #9,042.
What does the Census say about the background of Duren?
Among Census respondents with the surname Duren, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Duren in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.7% (2,347 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Duren appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.7%), Black (22.7%), Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Duren (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 Duren mean?
Derived from Dutch, referring to someone who lived near a thorn bush or hedge of thorns. 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 Duren (1.16 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 Duren?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.