Dukes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Dukes

What does the name Dukes mean?

The ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of England produced the name of Dukes. It was given to a person who behaved in a regal or noble manner, like a Duke. The surname Dukes is derived 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. Undoubtedly, this was often a nickname, since many captains or leaders of military forces were titled landholders who would have derived their surnames from their estates. Nevertheless, it may have also been applied as an occupational name to a military leader or to someone employed in a ducal household.

Early Origins of the Dukes family

The surname Dukes was first found in Devon having descended from Osmond le Duc, Alexander and Robert le Duke who were listed in the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae 1180-98. 1 Roger le Duke was Lord Mayor of London from 1227 to 1230.

“Duke was the name of an old influential Sussex family dating back to the reign of Henry VI.. There are also a few of the name in Dorset. Duke is also a widely – spread name amongst the gentry of the south of England, many of the families being connected and bearing the same arms. From the Dukes of Power Hayes and Otterton, Devon, sprang the Dukes of Wiltshire. ” 2

The Duke baronets are now both extinct but Sir Edward Duke, 1st Baronet (c.1604-1670) was the first Duke of Benhall, Suffolk (1661) and Sir James Duke, 1st Baronet (1792-1873), was Duke of London (1849.)

Dukes spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Dukes has appeared include Duke, Dukes, Dook, Dooke, Dooks, Dookes and others.

Early Notables of the Dukes family

Sir Edward Duke, 1st Baronet (c.1604-1671), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England in 1640; and his son, Sir John Duke, 2nd Baronet (1632-1705), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Orford in 1679; and Edmund Duke (1563-1590), English Roman Catholic priest and martyr who was found in the presence of Richard Hill, Richard Holiday and John Hogg in County Durham.