Duke
Duke was the 695th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 390 babies. Its best year was 2018, when it ranked 533rd with 529 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 92 places. More babies were named Duke in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning leader (English title) · Latin, French, English
Say it DOOK /duk/
- Rank in 2025
- #695 boys, down 62 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 390boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2018529 babies
- Total since 1880
- 11,595babies recorded
What does the name Duke mean?
Duke is the English title of nobility, used as a first name and nickname. The American Heritage Dictionary traces it to Old French duc and Latin dux, leader, from ducere, to lead. Wiktionary notes it is a mostly American and rather rare given name, also a surname for someone who served in a duke's household, and a nickname of the actor John Wayne. Duke has been used in the US since 1880.
dux (Latin, “leader”)dūcere (Latin, “to lead”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Duc, Duka.
See also: English names, names that mean king or queen.
Sources for this meaning
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th ed., entry 'duke' (etymology), HarperCollins / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Wiktionary, entry 'Duke' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Duke popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #695 | 390 |
| 2020 | #633 | 424 |
| 2010 | #1,247 | 141 |
| 2000 | #1,900 | 55 |
| 1990 | #1,471 | 59 |
| 1980 | #1,383 | 47 |
| 1970 | #905 | 78 |
| 1960 | #776 | 96 |
| 1950 | #887 | 60 |
| 1940 | #955 | 45 |
| 1930 | #1,241 | 33 |
| 1920 | #1,259 | 33 |
| 1910 | #883 | 13 |
| 1900 | #798 | 11 |
| 1890 | #830 | 7 |
| 1880 | #765 | 7 |
How popular is Duke, counting every spelling?
Duke has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #683 for boys in 2025, against #695 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Duke?
390 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Duke (0.11 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Duke born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 22 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Duke.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Duke?
About 9,700 people born in the US named Duke are alive today, with a median age of 11; half are between 7 and 34. That makes Duke a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Duke by state
How common Duke was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Hawaii (15.1×), Utah (3.2×), Iowa (1.9×), Colorado (1.7×), Missouri (1.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Mississippi, Nevada, Alabama.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Duke: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Duke, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Duke · Sibling names for Duke
Questions about the name Duke
What does Duke mean?
Duke means “leader (English title)” (Latin, French, English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Duke?
Duke was the 695th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 390 babies. Its best year was 2018, when it ranked 533rd with 529 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 92 places. More babies were named Duke in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Duke a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Duke in the US.
Where is Duke most popular?
In 2021–2025, Duke was most common in Hawaii (3.48 per 1,000 boys), followed by Utah and Iowa.