Duane (given name)

Duane is both a given name for a male, and a family name. The name derives from St. Dubhán, who established an abbey in Hook Head, Ireland, during the 5th century. As a surname it is O'Dubhain, or Dubhan. Dubhain was a popular given name in 16th century southern Ireland; its anglicized form is Duane.[1]

In the United States, Duane became a popular name around the 1920s and remained one of the 200 most popular names for about 50 years.[2] The spelling Dwayne was adopted as time went on, most likely because of the also popular name Wayne. Dwayne eventually became the preferred spelling, especially in the southern U.S., while Duane remains the more common spelling in northern-Midwest states such as Minnesota, Michigan, and North Dakota. Dwyane was once a birth certificate spelling mistake that gained popularity in the 2000s and 2010s thanks to basketball legend Dwyane Wade.[3]