Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 1959

Duane

Meaning black, dark Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #2,578 Trend ↓ Falling 13%

Anglicized form of the Irish name Dubhán (from Primitive Irish ᚇᚑᚃᚐᚌᚅᚔ (dovagni)), from dubh (“black, dark”); or transferred from the surname, which is from Irish Ó…

Rank 2025
#2,578
among boys · ↓497 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
51
named Duane · -29% vs 2024
How common
1 in 33,492
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1959
2,978 babies
All-time total
116,456
#282 all-time among boys
First recorded
1885
in Social Security records

Duane popularity over time

116,456 babies have been named Duane since 1885, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.511.5218801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 10 10 1 – #972
1890s – 35 35 4 +250% #787
1900s – 104 104 10 +197% #556
1910s 37 1,554 1,591 159 +1430% #315
1920s 150 8,565 8,715 872 +448% #137
1930s 235 16,855 17,090 1,709 +96% #102
1940s 203 17,072 17,275 1,728 +1% #129
1950s 128 24,144 24,272 2,427 +41% #126
1960s 134 23,755 23,889 2,389 -2% #127
1970s 95 12,404 12,499 1,250 -48% #158
1980s 32 5,247 5,279 528 -58% #289
1990s – 2,615 2,615 262 -50% #521
2000s – 1,583 1,583 158 -39% #861
2010s – 1,075 1,075 108 -32% #1,312
2020s (to 2025) – 424 424 71 -34% #1,880

Where Duane is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 50 0.03 outside top 500
2027 48 0.03 outside top 500
2028 47 0.03 outside top 500
2029 46 0.03 outside top 500
2030 46 0.03 outside top 500

The story of Duane

Duane is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,578 in 2025 with 51 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1885, 116,456 American babies have been named Duane. Its peak came in 1959, when 2,978 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Duane stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Duane?

The median living Duane is about 63 years old; half are between 53 and 71. An estimated 72 thousand people named Duane are alive in the United States today.

median 63 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Duane year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 51 #2,578
2024 – – 72 #2,081
2023 – – 70 #2,102
2022 – – 71 #2,101
2021 – – 81 #1,890
2020 – – 79 #1,880
2019 – – 70 #2,066
2018 – – 81 #1,859
2017 – – 102 #1,587
2016 – – 115 #1,485
2015 – – 113 #1,477
2014 – – 100 #1,578
2013 – – 108 #1,503
2012 – – 128 #1,332
2011 – – 130 #1,312
2010 – – 128 #1,333
2009 – – 121 #1,403
2008 – – 160 #1,139
2007 – – 149 #1,184
2006 – – 150 #1,137
2005 – – 147 #1,118
2004 – – 161 #1,019
2003 – – 155 #1,020
2002 – – 178 #907
2001 – – 177 #891
2000 – – 185 #861
1995 – – 252 #658
1990 – – 357 #521
1985 7 #8,593 566 #337
1980 6 #9,403 720 #289
1975 12 #4,935 1,042 #207
1970 19 #3,338 1,772 #163
1965 11 #4,012 2,274 #135
1960 15 #3,253 2,951 #127
1955 11 #3,636 2,345 #135
1950 19 #2,273 1,963 #137
1945 23 #1,761 1,582 #138
1940 25 #1,556 1,388 #134
1935 21 #1,685 1,830 #105
1930 22 #1,717 1,520 #120
1925 19 #2,054 896 #170
1920 6 #4,530 455 #257
1915 6 #3,905 196 #382
1910 – – 26 #558
1905 – – 5 #1,284
1900 – – 6 #1,204
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – 5 #978
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Duane

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Duane Eddy Duane Eddy American guitarist (1938–2024) Contemporary
  2. 2 Duane Jones Duane Jones American actor (1937–1988) Contemporary
  3. 3 Duane G. Carey Duane G. Carey American astronaut and USAF lieutenant colonel (born 1957) Contemporary
  4. 4 Duane Swanson American basketball player (1913–2000) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Duane, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Duane?

The median living Duane is about 63 years old. Half of all living Duanes are between 53 and 71 years old.

How many people named Duane are alive today?

An estimated 72 thousand people named Duane are alive in the United States, based on 116,456 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Duane mean?

Anglicized form of the Irish name Dubhán (from Primitive Irish ᚇᚑᚃᚐᚌᚅᚔ (dovagni)), from dubh (“black, dark”); or transferred from the surname, which is from Irish Ó Dubháin (literally “descendant of Dubhán”).

How popular is the name Duane in 2025?

Duane ranked #2,578 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 51 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Duane?

116,456 babies have been named Duane in the United States since 1885, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Duane most popular?

Duane peaked in 1959, when 2,978 newborns received the name.

Is Duane a boy or girl name?

Duane is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Duane rising or falling?

Duane is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Duane become more popular?

Duane is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 46 boys named Duane in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Duane?

Well-known people named Duane include Duane Eddy (musician), Duane Jones (actor), Duane G. Carey (astronaut).

Names like Duane

Names that sound and feel close to Duane: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Duane with similar names → More names starting with D →