2000
#27,413
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 828
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.31
Rare Last name
Durning
An English surname derived from the Old English word "durning" meaning "bold" or "daring."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,037 Americans carry the last name Durning. That puts it at #28,113 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 330,525 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Durning 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 Durning with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.0K
1 in 330,525
Census rank
#28,113
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
904
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 904 bearers of the surname Durning in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 28113th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Durning, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Durning
The surname Durning is believed to have originated in England, deriving from the Old English word "dyrnan," which means "to hide" or "to conceal." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived or worked in a secluded or hidden place.
The earliest recorded instances of the Durning name date back to the 13th century, with variations in spelling such as Dernynge, Derning, and Durnynge appearing in various historical records and documents from that period. One notable early reference is found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, which mentions a John de Dernynge.
In the Middle Ages, the Durning surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset. Some early bearers of the name were associated with places like Durning's Heath in Gloucestershire, which may have contributed to the development of the surname.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Durning surname was Thomas Durning, who was born around 1350 in Worcestershire. He is mentioned in the Worcestershire County Records as a landowner and freeman.
Another notable figure was Sir John Durning, a wealthy merchant and alderman from London, who lived from 1592 to 1670. He was a prominent figure in the City of London and served as the Lord Mayor in 1643.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Durning family established themselves as prominent landowners and gentry in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire.
In the 18th century, William Durning (1707-1785) was a notable English lawyer and Member of Parliament, representing the borough of Cricklade in Wiltshire.
Another prominent figure was Sir Walter Durning (1806-1888), a British politician and industrialist who served as the Member of Parliament for Penryn and Falmouth in Cornwall.
Throughout its history, the Durning surname has been associated with various locations and place names, such as Durning's Heath in Gloucestershire, Durning's Farm in Somerset, and Durning's Meadow in Worcestershire, reflecting the family's presence and influence in these areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Durning
Among Census respondents with the surname Durning, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Durning 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 Durning surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 814
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 31
- Two or more races3.0% · 27
- Black or African American2.1% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Durning
Durning 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
#26,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 899
+71 bearers (+8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Up 438 places
2020
#28,113
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 904
+5 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Down 1,138 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,413 | 828 | 0.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #26,975 | 899 | 0.30 | +71 bearers (+8.6%) | Up 438 places |
| 2020 | #28,113 | 904 | 0.30 | +5 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 1,138 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 Durning 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 | #26,975 | #28,113 | -4.2% |
| Count | 899 | 904 | 0.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.30 | 0.30 | 0.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Durning bearers went from 899 to 904 (+0.6% change). The surname moved down 1,138 positions in the national ranking, going from #26,975 to #28,113.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Durning
FAQ
Durning surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Durning?
Name Census estimates that about 1,037 living Americans carry the surname Durning. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 330,525 residents.
How common is Durning?
Durning ranks #28,113 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.30 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 904 people with the surname Durning. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,037), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.30 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 Durning.
Has Durning become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Durning went from 899 recorded bearers to 904. That is an increase of 5 (+0.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #26,975 to #28,113.
What does the Census say about the background of Durning?
Among Census respondents with the surname Durning, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Durning in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (814 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Durning appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Durning (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 Durning mean?
An English surname derived from the Old English word "durning" meaning "bold" or "daring." 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 Durning (0.30 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 are called Durning?
See how many people are called Durning on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.