Duke is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Duke means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Duke across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Duke has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Duke is a boy name of Latin origin meaning “leader, noble title”. From the noble title, ultimately from Latin dux meaning leader.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 11,595 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 308 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Duke per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 2018 (529/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2014 (30/yr).
Duke is an uncommon baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2018, when it ranked #1,106 nationally (given to 550 babies that year).
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