Duckett
An English surname with several possible roots, most likely a pet-form of Duck or Duke, and perhaps in some cases linked to a dove-cot or to the bird name duck.
The #4,794 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 41,864 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The evidence is a little mixed. One old source treats Duckett as a diminutive or pet form related to Duck or Duke, while another suggests a Scottish Gaelic link to a word for a dove-cot or pigeon-house. In practice, the name may have arisen more than once, from different local nicknames and place-words that sounded similar. The ending -ett is consistent with a diminutive or affectionate form.
History
Historic records show the surname in England by the early 13th century, including a Lincolnshire family noted in 1205. Later writers also connect it with forms such as Duke and Dukes, especially in Yorkshire and other northern areas. Because similar spellings developed in more than one place, modern Duckett families may not all share one single origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One 19th-century surname writer thought Duckett could come from a word for a dove-cot, showing how often old surnames were linked to everyday rural life.
From the historical record
“duke,' as written in H.E. DUCKETT. DUCKITT. Possibly from the Scot, duliate, dow-cate, dove-cot, or pigeon-house. See Jamieson. The Ducketts of Fillingham, co. Lincoln, were resident there in 1205. B.L.G. DUCKRELL. Duckerel is the old di- minutive of duck, as is ' cockerel ' of cock, and hence this surname…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom