Contents [hide]

Duke History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Duke History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Duke is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. Duke was a name used for a person who behaved in a regal or noble manner, like a Duke. The surname Duke is derived from the various Old English words duc, duk, duke, douc, and doke, which all came from the Old French word duc. This ultimately came from the Latin word dux, which means leader, and is a derivative of the verb ducere, which means to lead. Undoubtedly, this was often a nickname, since many captains or leaders of military forces were titled landholders who would have derived their surnames from their estates. Nevertheless, it may have also been applied as an occupational name to a military leader or to someone employed in a ducal household.

Early Origins of the Duke family

The surname Duke was first found in Devon having descended from Osmond le Duc, Alexander and Robert le Duke who were listed in the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae 1180-98. 1 Roger le Duke was Lord Mayor of London from 1227 to 1230.

"Duke was the name of an old influential Sussex family dating back to the reign of Henry VI.. There are also a few of the name in Dorset. Duke is also a widely - spread name amongst the gentry of the south of England, many of the families being connected and bearing the same arms. From the Dukes of Power Hayes and Otterton, Devon, sprang the Dukes of Wiltshire. " 2

The Duke baronets are now both extinct but Sir Edward Duke, 1st Baronet (c.1604-1670) was the first Duke of Benhall, Suffolk (1661) and Sir James Duke, 1st Baronet (1792-1873), was Duke of London (1849.)

Early History of the Duke family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Duke research. Another 58 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1563, 1590, 1604, 1632, 1640, 1658, 1670, 1671, 1679, 1705, 1711 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Duke History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Duke Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Duke include Duke, Dukes, Dook, Dooke, Dooks, Dookes and others.

Early Notables of the Duke family

Notables of the family at this time include

Sir Edward Duke, 1st Baronet (c.1604-1671), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England in 1640; and his son, Sir John Duke, 2nd Baronet (1632-1705), an English politician, Member...
Richard Duke (1658-1711), was an English clergyman and poet. He was born at London, ‘the son of an eminent citizen,’ probably a short time before the Restoration, since he was admitted to Westminster...

Duke Ranking

In the United States, the name Duke is the 874^th most popular surname with an estimated 34,818 people with that name. 3 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Duke is ranked the 626^th most popular surname with an estimated 73 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Duke family to Ireland

Some of the Duke family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 79 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Duke migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Duke were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Duke Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edward Duke, who sailed to New England in 1634
Mr. Richard Duke, who left England and arrived in Maryland in 1634 aboard the ship "Ark and Dove" 5
Jo Duke, aged 20, who arrived in New England aboard the ship "Elizabeth" in 1635 5
Mary Duke, who arrived in Virginia in 1641 5
George Duke, who sailed to Virginia in 1648
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Duke Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Duke, who landed in Virginia in 1703 5
Thomas Duke, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 5
John Duke, settled in Pennsylvania in 1772
Elizabeth Duke, who landed in Virginia in 1778 5

Duke Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Samuel Duke, aged 21, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1804 5
James Duke, aged 32, who landed in New York in 1812 5
William Duke, aged 27, who arrived in New York in 1812 5
A Duke, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 5
Thomas Duke, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1853

Duke migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Duke Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Duke who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec but died on Grosse Isle in 1847 6

Duke Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

J W Duke, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Duke migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Duke Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Duke, English convict who was convicted in Dorset, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Burrell" on 22nd July 1830, arriving in New South Wales 7
Mr. John Duke, English convict who was convicted in Southampton, Hampshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 2nd February 1831, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
George Duke, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1839 9
Sarah Duke, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1839 9
mary Ann Duke, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1839 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Duke migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Duke Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

George Duke, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841
Mr. W.G. Duke, Australian settler travelling from Sydney, Australia aboard the ship "Bright Planet" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 11th June 1842 10
Mr. C. Duke, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Palmyra" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 19th February 1858 11
Mrs. Duke, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Palmyra" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 19th February 1858 11
Child Duke, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Palmyra" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 19th February 1858 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Duke migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 12

Duke Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Henry Duke, who sailed to Barbados with his wife and servants, in 1680

Duke Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

William Duke, who arrived in Barbados in 1758 5
John Duke, who arrived in Barbados in 1779 5
J Duke, who landed in Barbados in 1783 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Duke (post 1700) +

Wayne Duke (1928-2017), American collegiate sports executive, commissioner of the Big Eight Conference from 1963 to 1971
Anne Marie "Patty" Duke (1946-2016), American actress who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at the age of 16, ranked #40 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time
Robin Chandler Duke (1923-2016), American socialite, women's rights advocate and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Norway (2000-2001)
James Henry "Red" Duke Jr. (1928-2015), American trauma surgeon and professor at The University of Texas Health Science Center and the Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, perhaps best remembered for his nationally syndicated television spot called "Dr. Red Duke's Health Reports" which ran for 15 years
Mike Duke (b. 1950), American businessman, President, Chief Executive Officer of Wal-Mart
Brigadier-General James Thomas Duke (1893-1970), American Commanding General Charleston Port of Embarkation (1942-1945) 13
Ken Duke (b. 1969), American PGA golfer
John Woods Duke (1899-1984), American composer and pianist
James Buchanan Duke (1856-1925), American tobacco and electric power industrialist, eponym of Duke University
Charles Moss Duke Jr. (b. 1935), former NASA Astronaut with 265 hours in space 14
... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Duke family +

Air New Zealand Flight 901

Mr. Athol David Duke (1961-1979), New Zealander passenger, from Epsom, Auckland, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; he died in the crash 15

St. Francis Dam

Mr. Van Wallace Duke, American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928

USS Arizona

Mr. Robert Edward Duke, American Chief Commissary Steward Assigned from California, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 16

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 26)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/burrell
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HOOGHLY 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Hooghly.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, January 24) James Duke. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Duke/James_Thomas/USA.html
NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Charles Duke. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/duke-cm.html
Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html