The first is that the surname Duke and its variant, Dukes, are both derived from the various Middle English words duc, duk, and douc, which all came from the Old French word "duc. '' This ultimately stemmed from the Latin dux, meaning "leader, '' and is a derivative of ducere, "to lead. '' The surname was evidently acquired by someone who was looked upon as a leader, not denoting one of noble birth since many captains or military leaders were titled landholders who would have taken their last names from their estates. The surname Dukes translates literally as "Duke 's son. ''
where does the last name dukes come from
Latin