NameCensus.

UK surname

Duvall

French toponymic surname referring to someone living in or near a valley or vale.

In the 1881 census there were 123 people recorded with the Duvall surname, ranking it #17,506 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 326, ranked #13,896, up from #17,506 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Buxted, London parishes and Tunbridge, Bidborough. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Mearns South and Benholm, Sefton and Mid Sussex.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Duvall is 331 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 165.0%.

1881 census count

123

Ranked #17,506

Modern count

326

2016, ranked #13,896

Peak year

2014

331 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Duvall had 123 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,506 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 326 in 2016, ranked #13,896.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 220 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Duvall surname distribution map

The map shows where the Duvall surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Duvall surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Duvall over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 56 #23,235
1861 historical 50 #27,636
1881 historical 123 #17,506
1891 historical 114 #22,006
1901 historical 172 #16,643
1911 historical 220 #14,088
1997 modern 289 #13,859
1998 modern 308 #13,661
1999 modern 307 #13,757
2000 modern 309 #13,651
2001 modern 302 #13,668
2002 modern 296 #14,110
2003 modern 291 #14,100
2004 modern 299 #13,904
2005 modern 301 #13,812
2006 modern 304 #13,797
2007 modern 309 #13,760
2008 modern 313 #13,746
2009 modern 314 #13,985
2010 modern 317 #14,166
2011 modern 308 #14,356
2012 modern 306 #14,327
2013 modern 320 #14,104
2014 modern 331 #13,851
2015 modern 326 #13,898
2016 modern 326 #13,896

Geography

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Where Duvalls are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Buxted, London parishes, Tunbridge, Bidborough and West Derby. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Mearns South and Benholm, Sefton, Mid Sussex, Wokingham and Tonbridge and Malling. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Buxted Sussex
2 London parishes London 1
3 Tunbridge, Bidborough Kent
4 West Derby Lancashire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Mearns South and Benholm Aberdeenshire
2 Sefton 021 Sefton
3 Mid Sussex 001 Mid Sussex
4 Wokingham 007 Wokingham
5 Tonbridge and Malling 008 Tonbridge and Malling

Forenames

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First names often paired with Duvall

These lists show first names that appear often with the Duvall surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Duvall

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Duvall, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Duvall surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Duvall household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Duvall is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Duvall is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Duvall falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Duvall is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Duvall, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Duvall

The surname Duvall originated in France and has its roots in the Old French word "val" meaning "valley." It is believed to have been a topographic name, referring to someone who lived in or near a valley. The earliest recorded instances of the name appear in the 11th century in the Normandy region of northern France.

During the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled as "de Val" or "du Val," with the prefix "de" or "du" indicating "of" or "from." These prefixes were commonly used in French surnames to denote a person's place of origin or residence. Over time, the spelling evolved to the more modern form of "Duvall."

The Duvall name can be found in various historical records, including the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landholdings and populations commissioned by William the Conqueror in England. This suggests that some individuals with the Duvall surname may have been among the Norman settlers who accompanied William during the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Duvall surname was Raoul du Val, a Norman knight who fought alongside William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Another notable figure was Sir Walter Duvall, a prominent English landowner who lived during the reign of King Henry III in the 13th century.

In the 16th century, the Duvall surname was associated with the town of Vaux-sur-Seine in the Île-de-France region of France, which was once known as "Val." This connection suggests that some Duvall families may have originated from or lived in this area.

As the name spread across Europe and beyond, several notable individuals have carried the Duvall surname throughout history. These include:

1. Gabriel Duvall (1752-1844), an American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1811 to 1835. 2. Robert Duval (c. 1568-1637), a French Protestant leader and soldier during the French Wars of Religion in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. 3. Napoléon Duvall (1782-1858), a French military officer who served under Napoleon Bonaparte and later became a general in the French Army. 4. William P. Duvall (1782-1854), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Maryland in the early 19th century. 5. Samuel Duvall (1794-1863), an American politician and lawyer who served as the 17th Governor of Florida from 1853 to 1857.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Duvall families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Duvall surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Kent leads with 37 Duvalls recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.04x.

County Total Index
Kent 37 9.04x
Surrey 22 3.76x
Middlesex 19 1.58x
Lancashire 15 1.05x
Sussex 12 5.93x
Staffordshire 5 1.23x
Suffolk 4 2.74x
Leicestershire 3 2.26x
Cheshire 2 0.76x
Essex 2 0.84x
Buckinghamshire 1 1.38x
Hertfordshire 1 1.21x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Tonbridge in Kent leads with 16 Duvalls recorded in 1881 and an index of 108.40x.

Place Total Index
Tonbridge 16 108.40x
Bidborough 12 10909.09x
West Derby 9 21.61x
Godalming 8 217.39x
Newington 8 18.05x
Chiswick 7 106.71x
Buxted 6 759.49x
Paddington London 5 11.33x
Walton On Hill 5 64.85x
Hastings Holy Trinity 4 268.46x
Charlwood 3 535.71x
Deptford St Paul 3 9.50x
Ipswich St Nicholas 3 375.00x
Kensington London 3 4.50x
Leigh 3 555.56x
Shoreditch London 3 5.77x
Camberwell 2 2.61x
Chester St John Baptist 2 42.02x
Faversham 2 51.28x
Hamstall Ridware 2 1250.00x
Leicester St Margaret 2 6.17x
Barking 1 14.43x
Brighton 1 2.45x
Colchester St Mary At 1 119.05x
Everton 1 2.20x
Great Hormead 1 476.19x
Hopton Coton 1 175.44x
Ipswich St Peter 1 50.76x
Margate St John Baptist 1 13.33x
Peckleton 1 909.09x
Rotherfield 1 56.18x
Saunderton 1 588.24x
Stafford St Mary 1 17.45x
Streatham 1 11.24x
Westminster St James 1 8.11x
Wolverhampton 1 3.21x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Duvall surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 9
Charlotte 4
Emily 3
Jane 3
Maria 3
A. 2
Elizabeth 2
Emma 2
Frances 2
Louisa 2
Minnie 2
Ada 1
Annie 1
Augustine 1
C. 1
Cecilia 1
E. 1
Edith 1
Elinor 1
Eliza 1
Ellen 1
Esther 1
Florence 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
J. 1
Laura 1
Lavinia 1
Leah 1
Lucretia 1
Martha 1
Nelly 1
P.C. 1
Pheobe 1
Phillidelphia 1
Rachael 1
Sarah 1
Sophia 1
W. 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Duvall surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Thomas 7
John 6
William 6
George 4
Henry 4
Arthur 3
Charles 3
James 3
Albert 2
Ezra 2
A. 1
A.A. 1
A.John 1
Adolph 1
Alfred 1
Benjamin 1
Clare 1
Daniel 1
Ernest 1
Gordon 1
H. 1
Harry 1
Henri 1
Joseph 1
Martin 1
Peter 1
Sidney 1
Willm.A. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Duvall surname: questions and answers

How common was the Duvall surname in 1881?

In 1881, 123 people were recorded with the Duvall surname. That placed it at #17,506 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Duvall surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 326 in 2016. That gives Duvall a modern rank of #13,896.

What does the Duvall surname mean?

French toponymic surname referring to someone living in or near a valley or vale.

What does the Duvall map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Duvall bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.