Durand
Masculine · “enduring”
Durand is a French surname meaning enduring, and it is attached to one of the most consequential lines ever drawn on a map. The border between Afghanistan and Pakistan was negotiated in 1893 by a British diplomat of that name, and it has been disputed by one side or the other ever since.
How old is the name Durand?
Durand first appears in US birth records in 1913 — 112 years ago. The typical Durand alive today was born around 1973, making them about 52 years old. About 900 people named Durand are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Durand most popular?
Durand peaked in 1972, reaching #1327 nationally. See the whole 1972 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From a Latin verb about lasting and hardening to Durand
The story of Durand
Mortimer Durand negotiated the line with the Amir of Afghanistan over a few weeks, on a map, largely on the basis of where British influence could be maintained rather than where anybody lived. It cut the Pashtun homeland roughly in half. Afghanistan has never formally accepted it, no Afghan government of any complexion has recognized it, and the families it separated have gone on crossing it as though it were not there. A hundred and thirty years later it is still one of the most consequential lines on any map, and it carries the name of a man who spent about a month on it.
Meaning
enduring, lasting
The name is from the Latin verb for hardening or lasting, which also gives English durable, duration, endure and the ordinary word during — a preposition that is really a participle, meaning while something is lasting. Durand was one of the commonest French surnames for centuries, which is why it turns up everywhere from Quebec to Louisiana, and it became a first name in America the way most French surnames did: through families who had it already.
How the name formed
- a Latin verb about lasting and hardening
- Durand becomes one of the commonest French surnames
- carried to Quebec, Louisiana and the American colonies
- a British diplomat draws a line and leaves his name on it
- used as an American first name from the 1910s
Related forms: Durand · Durante · Durandus
Pronouncing Durand
duh-RAND
Two syllables with the stress at the back in American use. The French drops the final consonant altogether, giving something like doo-RAHN, which is how families with the surname often keep it.
Nicknames for Durand
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1913
- Most boys named
- 197240 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1327reached in 1972
- Change vs 2012
- +40.0%7 in 2015, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Durand in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Durand in French — same name
- Durante in Italian — related form
- Durandus in Latin — same name
Durands among us
people named Durand are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Durand sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- The meaning is plain, favorable and easy to explain: it means lasting.
- It has a genuine French history and is instantly readable in English.
- Randy is available inside it for anyone who wants something less formal.
- The French and American pronunciations are quite different and he will hear both.
- It reads as a surname, and some people will treat it as one.
- The most famous thing carrying the name is a contested border, which is a mixed inheritance.
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Durand
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Durands are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 900 people named Durand are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Durand in 2025?
- Durand is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Durand with classmates?
- Durand will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More D names
The most-given names starting with D, all years combined.
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Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Durand? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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