How common is the surname Duke?

35,053 people in the United States had the surname Duke in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 8,808 Americans. It ranked 995th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Duke?

Patty Duke, American actress (1946–2016), followed by Mitchell Duke.

Where is the surname Duke most common?

Wikidata records people named Duke in the United States, Australia and the Russian Empire and 2 other countries.

Is the surname Duke getting more or less common?

More common. 33,745 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 35,053 in 2010, up 3.9%.

Is Duke also a first name?

Yes. Duke is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Duke

An occupational surname, carried by 35,053 people in the United States.

Pronounced /duːk/ 1 syllable Soundex D200 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Duke is more common than 99.4% of them.

Origin

A surname originating as an occupation for service in the household of a duke, or from a nickname.

Duke is an occupational surname: named after the work an ancestor did.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 35,053 people named Duke in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 8,808 Americans. That is up 3.9% since 2000, when the Census counted 33,745.

#995

rank among US surnames

35,053

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+3.9%

change since 2000 (was #952)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#986	Dickson	35,312	8,743
#987	Reyna	35,291	8,749
#988	Cantrell	35,266	8,755
#989	Mayo	35,228	8,764
#990	Branch	35,225	8,765
#991	Hendrix	35,194	8,773
#992	Rollins	35,132	8,788

Who is named Duke

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

85% of people named Duke identified as white (not Hispanic), 8.1% as Black (not Hispanic) and 3.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 85%
Black (not Hispanic) 8.1%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3.3%
Two or more races 2.0%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.6%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Dukes

20 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Patty Duke
American actress (1946–2016)
Mitchell Duke
Australian association football player, born 1991
Charles Duke
American engineer, U.S. Air Force officer, test pilot, and NASA astronaut (born 1935)
David Duke
American white nationalist and politician, born 1950
James Buchanan Duke
American businessman (1856–1925)
George Duke
American musician (1946–2013)
Clark Duke
American actor, born 1985
Bill Duke
American actor and director (born 1943)
Vernon Duke
American composer (1903-1969)
Doris Duke
American heiress, philanthropist and billionaire (1912-1993)
Annie Duke
American poker player (b. 1965)
David Duke Jr.
American basketball player (born 1999)

Notable Dukes come mostly from the United States (16), Australia (1) and the Russian Empire (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Duke

Duke has the Soundex code D200, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code D200.

Questions

How common is the surname Duke?: 35,053 people in the United States had the surname Duke in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 8,808 Americans. It ranked 995th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Duke?: In the 2010 Census, 85% of people named Duke identified as white (not Hispanic), and 8.1% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Duke?: Patty Duke, American actress (1946–2016), followed by Mitchell Duke.
Where is the surname Duke most common?: Wikidata records people named Duke in the United States, Australia and the Russian Empire and 2 other countries.
How do you pronounce Duke?: Duke is /duːk/, one syllable.
What type of surname is Duke?: Duke is an occupational surname, named after the work an ancestor did.
Is the surname Duke getting more or less common?: More common. 33,745 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 35,053 in 2010, up 3.9%.
Is Duke also a first name?: Yes. Duke is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.