Duncan

Duncan: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “brown warrior”
Origin: Scottish Gaelic
Say it: DUN-kən · 2 syllables
Used for: Boys

Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Donnchadh, from donn 'brown' and cath 'battle.' It was borne by early Scottish kings and appears in Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Scottish names English names Names meaning warrior Names meaning strength Names meaning brave Classic names Royal names Literary names

How popular is Duncan?

202458.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Duncan in 2024194

2024 rank#1,101 boys

Peak year1997

Total US babies since 188021,043

Duncan has been fairly stable over the last fifteen years.

Names like Duncan

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Loganlittle hollow · Scottish Gaelic
Cameroncrooked nose · Scottish Gaelic
IanGod is gracious · Scottish Gaelic
Carsonson of Carr · Scottish Gaelic
Callumdove · Scottish Gaelic
MaxwellMack's stream · Scottish Gaelic
Finleyfair-haired hero · Scottish Gaelic
Dallasmeadow dwelling · Scottish Gaelic

Duncan questions

What does the name Duncan mean?

Duncan means "brown warrior". It comes from Scottish Gaelic. Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Donnchadh, from donn 'brown' and cath 'battle.' It was borne by early Scottish kings and appears in Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Is Duncan a boy or girl name?

Duncan is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Duncan?

194 US babies were named Duncan in 2024. Its peak year was 1997.

How do you pronounce Duncan?

Duncan is usually pronounced DUN-kən.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.