Contents [hide]

Duck History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Duck History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland

Etymology of Duck

What does the name Duck mean?

Following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, the name Duck was first found in Britina. It was a name for a person who had a duck-like gait or bore some other resemblance to a duck. The surname Duck is derived from Old English words duk, dukke, duck, doke, and dook, which all mean duck. However, these words are often indistinguishable 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.

Early Origins of the Duck family

The surname Duck was first found in Somerset where the first record of the family was John le Duk, who was listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 1

The Rotuli Curiae Regis listed Ralph Dux of Buckinghamshire, 1198. 2

In Cheshire, two early listing were found: Robert Ducke was listed in the Assize Rolls of 1260 and later; Hugo Doke was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279. 3 In the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, we found Adam Doke listed as holding lands there at that time. 4

In Devon, we found the variant Duckham. 5 "Amongst old Tiverton [,Devon] names, now scantily to be found in the county, but still surviving in this town, are Duckham This name is now established in Monmouthshire. The Duckhams were Tiverton churchwardens in 1691, 1703, and 1743." 6

Early History of the Duck family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Duck research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1515, 1546, 1559, 1570, 1580, 1595, 1628, 1632, 1636, 1638, 1639, 1648, 1657, 1672, 1691, 1705 and 1756 are included under the topic Early Duck History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Duck Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Duck are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Duck include Duck, Duche, Ducke and others.

Early Notables of the Duck family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Sir Arthur Duck (1580-1648), English civilian, second son of Richard Duck by Joanna, his wife, born at Heavitree, Devonshire. He was born at Heavitree, near Exeter, Devon. the younger son of Richard D...
Sir John Duck, 1st Baronet (c. 1632-1691), was an English politician, Mayor of Durham. He "was apprenticed early in life to a butcher at Durham, though from an entry in the guild registers it appears...
Stephen Duck (1705-1756), was an English poet, born in 1705 at Charlton in Wiltshire. His parents were poor, and after some slight education up to the age of fourteen, he was employed as an agricultur...

Duck Ranking

In the United States, the name Duck is the 5,998^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Duck family to Ireland

Some of the Duck family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Duck migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Duck, or a variant listed above:

Duck Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Duck who settled in New England in 1654
Ri Duck, who arrived in Virginia in 1666 8
Susanna Duck, who arrived in Maryland in 1666 8

Duck Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Eliza Duck, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 8
Mary Duck, who arrived in Virginia in 1713 8

Duck Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Daniel Duck, who arrived in New York in 1831 8
Rollins R Duck, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 8
Levi Duck, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 8
Aron Duck, aged 28, who landed in New York, NY in 1874 8
Cath Duck, aged 9, who arrived in New York, NY in 1875 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Duck Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

George Augustus Duck, who arrived in Alabama in 1918 8

Duck migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Duck Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Abraham Duck, who arrived in Manitoba in 1874
Cornelius Duck, who landed in Manitoba in 1874
David Duck, who landed in Manitoba in 1874
Duerk Duck, who arrived in Manitoba in 1874
Gehrhard Duck, who landed in Manitoba in 1874
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Duck migration to Australia +

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

Duck Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Alfred Duck, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Rajasthan" in 1838 9
David Duck, aged 31, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Amazon" 10
Edwin Duck, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Lady Ann"

Duck 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:

Duck Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John & Wife Duck, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship Broman
John Duck, aged 23, a cabinet maker, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Birman" in 1842
Eliza Duck, aged 21, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Birman" in 1842
David Duck, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ann Wilson" in 1857
Sarah Duck, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ann Wilson" in 1857
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Duck (post 1700) +

Andrew J. Duck (b. 1962), United States Democratic candidate for the United States House of Representatives for Maryland's 6th congressional district in the 2018
C. A. Duck, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Texas, 1916 11
Simeon Duck (1834-1905), Canadian businessman and politician who represented Victoria City in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (1871 to 1875), (1882 to 1886) and (1888 to 1890)
Jenny Duck (b. 1968), New Zealand bronze medalist field hockey player at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
Emma Duck (b. 1981), British sprinter and hurdler known for the 400 metres and the 400 metre hurdles

Citations +

Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
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/
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RAJASTHAN 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838Rajasthan.htm
South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) AMAZON 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/amazon1852.shtml
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html