Boys' name · since 1880

Duke

Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 11,595 babies named Duke, peaking in 2018. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#1,102 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#695 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
11,595
born since 1880
2010s
peak decade

11,595 babies have been named Duke since 1880, making it today's #695 boys' name.

Social Security Administration records show Duke recorded 11,595 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #695 nationally today, ahead of 95% of boys, peaking in the 2010s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • #1,102 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #695 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 11,595 born since 1880
  • 2010s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Duke ranks #1,102 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #695 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 11,595 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.

#1,102 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#695 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
11,595
born since 1880
2010s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%95%
Duke vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Duke's 11,595 recorded births place it above 97.57% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

43 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

43 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Duke compares

11,595 Top 8% higher than 92% of 13,930 names currently given to boys

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.

Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data

How the numbers stack up

Duke's all-time total is 31x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Duke Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 11,595 369 358,536
Peak-year births 529 34 22,252

Duke's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Duke's SSA record in two at 1955 and the more recent half accounts for 84% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 16%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1881, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2018 peak of 529, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Duke popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (2018)
529
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
0200400600 188019021921193919571975199320112025 390

Duke by decade

2010s is the heaviest window (3,699 births, 32% of the file).

2010s was Duke's strongest decade.

3,699 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 32% of all-time use.

Duke births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2010s at 3,699 births (32% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Duke compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Duke's total volume

Duke vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15%20% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -54, 6.3%-55, 6.3%-144, 1.7%-26, 8.4%-58, 6.3%-146, 3.1%-132, 2.9%-146, 2.4%-76, 4.1%-57, 16.5%-114, 3.6%-77, 6.1%-120, 7.4%-118, 3.8%-73, 4.4%Duke-146, 4.6%Duke
Duke vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Duke by state

Where Duke concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Duke
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
1,557 13.4%
#2 Texas
840 7.2%
#3 Hawaii
317 2.7%
#4 New York
305 2.6%
#5 Ohio
288 2.5%
#6 Florida
277 2.4%
#7 Illinois
271 2.3%
#8 Washington
197 1.7%
California share of Duke's total US births 13.4%
Even split

1,557 of 11,595 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 43 reporting states.

Duke appears in 43 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Duke? ▼
Duke has been given to 11,595 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #1,102 of 45,481 among boys' names (total births, highest first). Among boys in 2025, it is #695 of 13,930. 529 babies were born in 2018, its single highest year.
Where does Duke sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Duke ranks #1,102 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #695 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Duke most popular? ▼
Duke was most popular in the 2010s decade with 3,699 total births. The single peak year was 2018.
Where is Duke most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Duke are California (1,557 births), Texas (840 births), Hawaii (317 births).
How long has the name Duke been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Duke since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Duke? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Dukens. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Duke's data

  • Duke's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (3,699 total births) through the 2020s (2,412) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • California records the most Dukes (1,557 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Duke

Nearby Names Like Duke

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Duke

Dukens Boy
5 births

Compare Duke side by side: Duke vs Dukens

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Duke

Idris #694
5,031 births · Peak 2025
Mac #696
11,397 births · Peak 2022
Dax #693
11,918 births · Peak 2019
Sevyn #697
2,309 births · Peak 2024
Dexter #692
36,582 births · Peak 2012
Evander #698
4,200 births · Peak 2025
Tomas #691
30,703 births · Peak 2003
Marvin #699
254,192 births · Peak 1928

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Duke: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Duke draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.