This interesting name has two possible origins, the first of which is derived from the Middle English 'duk', developed from the Old French 'duc', in the sense of a military leader, derived from the Latin 'dux', leader. The 's' at the end of the name is a shortened form of 'son of'.

The second possible origin of the modern surname is from the personal name 'Duke', a short form of 'Marmaduke', which is a given name of Irish origin thought to derive from the Gaelic 'mael Maedoc', devotee of Maedoc, a personal name borne by various early Irish saints.

Contributed by on 2009-11-27 14:41:07