Boy · #729 in 2026

Duke

Name: Popularity of the name Duke in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Duke, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Duke is a masculine given name, also used as a nickname or stage name. Notable people with the name include:Duke Aiona, American politician Duke Cunningham, American fighter pilot and politician Duke Dawson, American football player Duke Droese, American wrestler Duke Dumont, English DJ Duke Ejiofor, American football player Duke Ellington (1899-1974), American jazz musician Duke Ihenacho,…

English

Current Rank

#729

Peak Rank

#533 (2018)

Total Babies

12K

5-Yr Trend

-21%

1880

First Year

2026

Last Year

2018

Peak Year

#533

Peak Rank

12K

Total Count

142

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Duke

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

English

The Story of Duke

The earliest SSA record of Duke as a baby boy name dates back to 1880, when 7 babies received it. 2018 was its biggest year on record, with 529 newborns named Duke — #533 in the national rankings. About 31% of every Duke on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Duke ranks #729 for baby boys with 368 births, falling sharply (-21%). All told, over 12K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Duke

Phonetically similar names — useful when Duke is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Duque
Doq
Dick
Deck
Dike
Dic
Dich
Dak
Dec
Deak
Dack
Dik

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Duke

What does the name Duke mean?

What is the origin of the name Duke?

Duke has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.

How popular is Duke in 2026?

In 2026, Duke ranks #729 among boys' names in the U.S., with 368 babies given the name that year.

When was Duke most popular?

Duke reached its peak popularity in 2018, ranking #533 that year with 529 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Duke most popular?

Duke has historically been most popular in Hawaii, Alaska, Montana. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Duke.

Is Duke a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Duke is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Duke?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Duke include Elihu, Chin, Paris. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Duke

Duke is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 12K births in the dataset. Duke's peak popularity came in 2018 when it ranked #533. Use the chart and map above to compare Duke's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.