Explore the Family Name Duke
The meaning of Duke
1. English: nickname from Middle English duk(ke), duck, doke, dook ‘duck’ (Old English dūce), either from a perceived resemblance (perhaps a waddling gait) or from association with wild fowling. Compare Duck, Drake. 2. English: from the Middle English personal name Duk or Duke. In northern England this is usually a pet form of Marmaduke. It may alternatively be a survival of one or more Old English personal names, though it is uncertain whether they were still current in the period of surname formation. Old English Ducc(a) is attested in placenames like Duxford (Cambridgeshire) and Duckington (Cheshire), and was perhaps interchangeable with Docc, attested in Doxey (Staffordshire) and Doxford (Northumberland). Duke could also represent Old English Deowuc (as in Deuxhill, Shropshire). A surname from Marmaduke is on record until at least 1881 and derives from the personal name Marmaduke, apparently an Anglo-Norman French pronunciation of Old Irish Maolmaedóc ‘devotee of Maedóc’; see Duckett. 3. Americanized form of Polish Duk: nickname from dukać ‘to stammer or falter’. 4. Americanized form (translation into English) of French Leduc or Breton Le Duc ‘the duke’.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Duke in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Duke saw a slight decrease in rank from 952 in 2000 to 995 in 2010, indicating a fall by 4.52 percent. However, the total count of individuals with this surname increased during the same period from 33,745 to 35,053, marking an increase by 3.88 percent. As a result, its proportion per 100,000 people decreased by 5.04 percent, moving from 12.51 to 11.88.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #952 | #995 | -4.52% |
| Count | 33,745 | 35,053 | 3.88% |
| Proportion per 100k | 12.51 | 11.88 | -5.04% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Duke
Looking at the ethnic identity associated with the Duke surname according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, there were notable shifts between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of Dukes identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased by approximately 17 percent, and those identifying with two or more races surged by around 43 percent. An impressive 45.61 percent growth was observed in the Hispanic community, whereas a modest rise of about 10 percent occurred among American Indian and Alaskan Natives. In contrast, the proportion of White individuals bearing the surname declined by a little over 2 percent, while the Black community saw a marginal increase of nearly 2 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 87.36% | 85.45% | -2.19% |
| Black | 7.93% | 8.08% | 1.89% |
| Hispanic | 2.28% | 3.32% | 45.61% |
| Two or More Races | 1.37% | 1.96% | 43.07% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.53% | 0.62% | 16.98% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.52% | 0.57% | 9.62% |
Duke ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Duke is British & Irish, which comprises 58.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (20.7%) and Eastern European (4.1%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Nigerian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 58.8% |
| French & German | 20.7% |
| Eastern European | 4.1% |
| Other | 16.4% |
Possible origins of the surname Duke
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Duke have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 89.30% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 89.30% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 89.00% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 88.80% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 88.80% |
What Duke haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Duke is R-CTS4065, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS4065 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and I-S25383, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Buck, Barker, Allison, Clark, Gay, Wilder, Mathews, Smith, Navarro, Thompson.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Duke surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Duke have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Duke" Surname 39.5%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Duke" Surname 29.3%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Duke" Surname 24.3%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Duke" Surname 18.9%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Duke?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Duke are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition