Duke (surname)
Encyclopedia
Duke is a surname for which there are two possible origins.
, are both derived from the various Middle English
words duc, duk, and douc, which all came from the Old French
word "duc." This ultimately stemmed from the Latin dux, meaning "leader," and is a derivative of ducere, "to lead." The surname was evidently acquired by someone who was looked upon as a leader, not denoting one of noble birth since many captains or military leaders were titled landholders who would have taken their last names from their estates. The surname Dukes translates literally as "Duke's son."
Alternatively, it has been suggested by scholars that the surname is simply a shortened form of Marmaduke, which is from the Irish
Maelmaedoc, meaning 'servant of Maedoc.' St. Maedoc was a Christian missionary in 7th Century Wales and Ireland. As a Plantation
surname, it can be found primarily in east Ulster and has been Gaelicised as Diúc.
References date back to the late Twelfth century, with Herbert le Duc, a member of the Knights Templar
, using the Gallicized version of the name. From 1190–1191, Roger le Duc was Sheriff of London, and three generations of his family succeeded him in this office. The Pipe Rolls for Berkshire
refer to Adam Duke in the year 1198, and in 1214 one Henry Dukes is recorded in the Curia Regis Rolls for Warwickshire
.
. In Queen Elizabeth
’s long reign the surname often appeared among the rolls of her ennobled subjects who were prominently mentioned in the annals of her time.
Duke families were also found very early in Ireland. According to O’Hart’s Irish Pedigrees, Vol. II, some were residing in County Westmeath
in the Fifteenth century. The will of one William Duke, of Kyllenagh, Kildare
, recorded 1551, is found in the records at Dublin. After this early date the family name appears with more or less variation in form, and with increasing frequency upon the pages of the Irish Public Records. Hanna, in his Scotch-Irish Families of Ulster, estimates that there were in 1890 within the province of Ulster 268 persons bearing the name Duke.
Thus the Dukes were one of the ancient families of England and of Ireland. They are among the earliest recorded by Burke in his pedigrees of the nobility and of the landed gentry. The first mention made of them by this authority was the aforementioned Roger le Duc, sheriff of London. The names of Duke and Dukes have been well-established in the Americas, with one of the earliest arrivals to New England being one Captain Edward Duke in 1634. Humphrey Dukes sailed to Barbados
with his wife and servants in 1630.
Fictional characters:
Etymology
The first is that the surname Duke and its variant, DukesDukes (surname)
Dukes is a patronymic form of the surname Duke that originated in medieval England, of Anglo-Norman origin. The meaning is derived from son or descendant of Duke, which was originally recorded le Duc, a term used to mean "leader" before it became associated with a specific rank of the nobility...
, are both derived from the various Middle English
Middle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
words duc, duk, and douc, which all came from the Old French
Old French
Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories that span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from the 9th century to the 14th century...
word "duc." This ultimately stemmed from the Latin dux, meaning "leader," and is a derivative of ducere, "to lead." The surname was evidently acquired by someone who was looked upon as a leader, not denoting one of noble birth since many captains or military leaders were titled landholders who would have taken their last names from their estates. The surname Dukes translates literally as "Duke's son."
Alternatively, it has been suggested by scholars that the surname is simply a shortened form of Marmaduke, which is from the Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
Maelmaedoc, meaning 'servant of Maedoc.' St. Maedoc was a Christian missionary in 7th Century Wales and Ireland. As a Plantation
Plantation of Ulster
The Plantation of Ulster was the organised colonisation of Ulster—a province of Ireland—by people from Great Britain. Private plantation by wealthy landowners began in 1606, while official plantation controlled by King James I of England and VI of Scotland began in 1609...
surname, it can be found primarily in east Ulster and has been Gaelicised as Diúc.
References date back to the late Twelfth century, with Herbert le Duc, a member of the Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
, using the Gallicized version of the name. From 1190–1191, Roger le Duc was Sheriff of London, and three generations of his family succeeded him in this office. The Pipe Rolls for Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
refer to Adam Duke in the year 1198, and in 1214 one Henry Dukes is recorded in the Curia Regis Rolls for Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
.
Family Motto
The Duke family uses the motto Gradatim vincimus which translates as "We conquer by degrees." The Dukes family motto is Constanter, meaning "With constancy."History
Records indicate nameholders came to England during and in the decades following the Norman Conquest, but its usage became more common in the reign of Richard I and especially in the time of King JohnJohn of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
. In Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
’s long reign the surname often appeared among the rolls of her ennobled subjects who were prominently mentioned in the annals of her time.
Duke families were also found very early in Ireland. According to O’Hart’s Irish Pedigrees, Vol. II, some were residing in County Westmeath
County Westmeath
-Economy:Westmeath has a strong agricultural economy. Initially, development occurred around the major market centres of Mullingar, Moate, and Kinnegad. Athlone developed due to its military significance, and its strategic location on the main Dublin–Galway route across the River Shannon. Mullingar...
in the Fifteenth century. The will of one William Duke, of Kyllenagh, Kildare
Kildare
-External links:*******...
, recorded 1551, is found in the records at Dublin. After this early date the family name appears with more or less variation in form, and with increasing frequency upon the pages of the Irish Public Records. Hanna, in his Scotch-Irish Families of Ulster, estimates that there were in 1890 within the province of Ulster 268 persons bearing the name Duke.
Thus the Dukes were one of the ancient families of England and of Ireland. They are among the earliest recorded by Burke in his pedigrees of the nobility and of the landed gentry. The first mention made of them by this authority was the aforementioned Roger le Duc, sheriff of London. The names of Duke and Dukes have been well-established in the Americas, with one of the earliest arrivals to New England being one Captain Edward Duke in 1634. Humphrey Dukes sailed to Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
with his wife and servants in 1630.
Some noteworthy people of the Duke name
- Alex Duke (born 1960), American pianist and composer
- Annie DukeAnnie DukeAnnie Duke is a professional poker player and author who won a bracelet in the 2004 World Series of Poker $2,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better Event and was the winner of the 2004 World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions, where she earned the Winner-Take-All prize of $2,000,000...
(born 1965), American poker player - Basil W. DukeBasil W. DukeBasil Wilson Duke was a Confederate general officer during the American Civil War. His most noted service in the war was as second-in-command for his brother-in-law John Hunt Morgan; Duke would later write a popular account of Morgan's most famous raid: 1863's Morgan's Raid...
, Confederate general - Benjamin Newton DukeBenjamin Newton DukeBenjamin Newton Duke was a U.S. tobacco, textile, energy industrialist and philanthropist.-Biography:...
, American tobacco philanthropist - Bill DukeBill DukeWilliam Henry "Bill" Duke, Jr. is an American actor and film director with over 30 years of experience. Known for his physically imposing frame, Duke's work frequently dwells within the action/crime and drama genres but also includes comedy.-Early life:Duke was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, the...
(born 1943), African-American actor and director - Charles Moss Duke, Jr.Charles Moss Duke, Jr.Charles Moss Duke, Jr. is a retired US Air Force brigadier general, and a former United States astronaut and aerospace engineer for NASA...
(born 1935), American astronaut - David DukeDavid DukeDavid Ernest Duke is a former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan an American activist and writer, and former Republican Louisiana State Representative. He was also a former candidate in the Republican presidential primaries in 1992, and in the Democratic presidential primaries in...
(born 1950), American politician and white-nationalist activist - David DukeDavid Duke (footballer)David Duke is a Scottish football player, who plays for Sunderland Ryhope Community Association F.C..Born in Inverness, Scotland, Duke started his career as a trainee at Sunderland in 1998. He moved to Swindon Town where he made over 200 appearances. He later joined Darlington in 2005...
, (born 1978), Scottish footballer - Donald DukeDonald DukeDonald Duke was the Governor of Cross River State, Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. He received LLB degree in 1982 from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria - Nigeria, the B.L in 1983 from the Nigerian Law School, Lagos and the L.L.M...
, former governor of Nigeria - Doris DukeDoris DukeDoris Duke was an American heiress, horticulturalist, art collector, and philanthropist.-Family and early life:...
(1912–1993), American philanthropist - Doris DukeDoris DukeDoris Duke was an American heiress, horticulturalist, art collector, and philanthropist.-Family and early life:...
, African-American soul singer - Edmund Duke (1563–1590), English Catholic martyr
- Geoff DukeGeoff DukeGeoffrey Ernest Duke OBE is a British multi-time motorcycle Grand Prix road racing world champion.Geoff Duke dominated motorcycle racing in the 1950s, winning six world championships and six Isle of Man TT races...
, English champion road racer - George DukeGeorge DukeGeorge Duke is a multi-faceted American musician, known as a keyboard pioneer, composer, singer and producer in both jazz and popular mainstream musical genres. He has worked with numerous acclaimed artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and professor of music...
(born 1946), African-American musician - James A. Duke (born 1929), American botanist
- James Buchanan DukeJames Buchanan DukeJames Buchanan Duke was a U.S. tobacco and electric power industrialist best known for his involvement with Duke University.-Personal life:...
(1856–1925), American entrepreneur and philanthropist - Jas H. DukeJas H. DukeJas Heriot Duke was a cult figure in the Australian performance poetry scene. He worked much of his life in Melbourne Board of Works and began writing poetry in 1966. He was influenced by Dada, Expressionism and experimental movements...
(1939–1992), Australian writer - John Woods DukeJohn Woods DukeJohn Woods Duke , an American composer and pianist born in Cumberland, Maryland, became arguably best-known for his art songs.-Biography :John Woods Duke was the oldest child in a large musical family...
(1899–1984), American composer and pianist - Ken DukeKen DukeKenneth Wootson Duke is an American professional golfer.Duke was born in Hope, Arkansas. After turning professional in 1994, Duke first qualified for the PGA Tour in 2004, but failed to keep his card and returned to the Nationwide Tour...
(born 1969), American golfer - Matt DukeMatt DukeMatthew "Matt" Duke is an English footballer who plays for Bradford City as a goalkeeper.-Career:Duke began his career playing for a pub football side in Bradway, Sheffield. He joined Hull City on 23 July 2004 from Burton Albion for a fee of £20,000, which could rise to £60,000 depending on...
, English footballer - Mike DukeMike DukeMichael Terry Duke is an American businessman, and currently the fourth chief executive officer of Wal-Mart. Duke joined Wal-Mart in 1995, and most recently served as the executive in charge of the company's international operations...
, American business executive - Patty DukePatty DukeAnna Marie "Patty" Duke is an American actress of stage, film, and television. First becoming famous as a child star, winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at age 16, and later starring in her eponymous sitcom for three years, she progressed to more mature roles upon playing Neely...
(born 1946), American actor - P. J. DukeP. J. DukePhilip J. Duke was a former Gaelic football player for Cavan.-Playing career:Duke was a versatile footballer, he could play as a Half-Back, Midfielder or as a Forward. Cavan’s historic win over Kerry in the 1947 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final played at the Polo Grounds in New York...
, (1925-50) former Cavan Gaelic Footballer - Raoul DukeRaoul DukeRaoul Duke is the fictional character and antihero based on Hunter S. Thompson in his autobiographical novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The book was originally written under the name Raoul Duke....
, alter-ego to Hunter S. ThompsonHunter S. ThompsonHunter Stockton Thompson was an American journalist and author who wrote The Rum Diary , Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 .He is credited as the creator of Gonzo journalism, a style of reporting where reporters involve themselves in the action to...
, used as both a character and a pen name - Robert Duke, songwriter pseudonym of Joe MeekJoe MeekRobert George "Joe" Meek was a pioneering English record producer and songwriter....
- Robin DukeRobin DukeRobin Duke is a Canadian actress and comedian. Duke is most famous for her work on the NBC comedy series Saturday Night Live. In the 2000s, Women Fully Clothed, a sketch comedy troupe which she co-founded, toured Canada...
, Canadian actress and comedienne - Steve DukeSteve DukeSteve Duke is an American classical and jazz saxophonist noted for his performance of contemporary classical music, particularly computer music.-Education and teaching career:...
, American saxophonist - Vernon DukeVernon DukeVernon Duke was a Russian-American composer/songwriter, who also wrote under his original name Vladimir Dukelsky. He is best known for "Taking a Chance on Love" with lyrics by Ted Fetter and John Latouche, "I Can't Get Started" with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, "April in Paris" with lyrics by E. Y...
, Russian composer and songwriter - Washington DukeWashington DukeGeorge Washington Duke was an American tobacco industrialist and philanthropist.-Biography:Duke was born in Orange County, North Carolina , to Taylor Duke and Dicey Jones...
(1820–1905), American entrepreneur - Wesley DukeWesley DukeWesley Duke is a football player. Duke was a tight end for the Denver Broncos in the National Football League.He played both basketball and football for the Meadowcreek High School Mustangs in Norcross, Georgia....
, former American football player - William DukeWilliam DukeSir William Duke studied at Arbroath and then at University College London, before joining the Indian Civil Service, in the Bengal Cadre....
, Scottish lieutenant governor of Bengal - Zach DukeZach DukeZachary Thomas Duke is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who currently plays for the Arizona Diamondbacks...
, American baseball player
Fictional characters:
- BoBo DukeBeauregard "Bo" Duke is a fictional character in the American television series The Dukes of Hazzard, which ran from 1979 to 1985. He was played by John Schneider. The name of Beauregard may have been chosen after the famous Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard.Bo and his cousin Luke Duke live in...
and Luke DukeLuke DukeLucas K. "Luke" Duke is a fictional character in the American television series The Dukes of Hazzard which ran from 1979 to 1985. Luke was played by Tom Wopat....
, the good ol' boys of Hazzard CountyThe Dukes of HazzardThe Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985.The series was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners, which was also created by Gy Waldron and had many identical or similar character names and concepts.- Overview :The Dukes of Hazzard... - Daisy DukeDaisy DukeDaisy Mae Duke is a fictional character, played by Catherine Bach, from the American television series The Dukes of Hazzard. She was the cousin of Bo and Luke, the main protagonists of the show, who were also cousins, and the three lived on a farm on the outskirts of Hazzard County with their Uncle...
- Edmund Duke (StarCraft)
- Jesse Duke
Some noteworthy people of the Dukes name
- Alan DukesAlan DukesAlan Dukes is a former Irish politician who served as leader of the Fine Gael political party and Teachta Dála for Kildare and Kildare South. He holds the distinction of being one of only five TDs to be appointed Minister on their first day in the Dáil. He lost his seat in the 2002 general election...
(1945– ), Irish politician - Ashley DukesAshley DukesAshley Dukes was an English playwright, critic, and theatre manager.In 1933, he founded the Mercury Theatre of London and wrote plays that appeared in the London West End and on Broadway...
(1885–1959), English playwright - Cuthbert DukesCuthbert DukesCuthbert Esquire Dukes, M.D. OBE was an English physician and pathologist and author for whom the Dukes classification for colorectal cancer is named....
(1890–1977), English pathologist - David DukesDavid DukesDavid Coleman Dukes was an American character actor.-Life:Dukes was born in San Francisco, California, the son of a highway patrolman...
(1945–2000), American film and stage actor - Leopold DukesLeopold DukesLeopold Dukes was a Hungarian critic of Jewish literature.-Biography:Dukes spent about 20 years in England, and from his researches in the Bodleian library and the British Museum Dukes was able to complete the work of Leopold Zunz...
(1810–1891), Hungarian historian of Jewish literature - Mike DukesMike DukesMichael Francis Dukes was an American collegiate and professional football player who was best known as a linebacker for the original Houston Oilers. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Dukes attended Southwest DeKalb High School in Decatur, Georgia and then played in college for Clemson University...
(1936–2008), American football player - Sir Paul Dukes (1889–1967), English journalist and MI6 officer