# Drake (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/drake/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

An English surname transferred from the nickname, originally a byname from Old English draca or Old Norse draki, both meaning “dragon”.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | German |
| Type | nickname, from a description or nickname of an ancestor |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 61,162 |
| US rank (2010) | 549 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 5,048 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.6% (59,055 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /dɹeɪk/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

* As an English surname, from both senses of the noun drake meaning "male duck" and "dragon." * As a German surname, from Low German drake (“dragon”), related to the above. * As a Dutch surname, Americanized/West Flemish variant of Draak, also related to the above.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Drake in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 80% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 15% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.3% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.6% |
| Two or more races | 2.0% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Drake in the United States and the United Kingdom.

## People named Drake

- Frank Drake, American astronomer and astrophysicist (1930–2022)
- Larry Drake, American actor (1950–2016)
- Edwin Drake, American oil driller, popularly credited with being the first to drill for oil in the Unit
- Frances Drake, American actress (1912-2000)
- David Drake, American author of science fiction and fantasy literature (1945–2023)
- Charles Drake, American actor (1917-1994)
- Betsy Drake, American actress and writer (1923–2015)
- Tom Drake, American actor (1918–1982)
- Bob Drake, American racing driver (1919–1990)
- Dona Drake, actress, singer, dancer (1914-1989)
- Gabrielle Drake, British actress
- Alfred Drake, American actor (1914-1992)

and 13 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Durkee, Dark, Dworak, Dorsey, Derrick, Derosa, Dorris, Darcy, Dirks, Derose, Drews, Durso.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.