Duncan

Where Duncan comes from

* As a Scottish Gaelic and Irish surname, from Donnchadh, a name composed of donn (“brown”) + cath (“battle”). Also spelled as Donagh and Donaghue, Donahue. * Also as an Irish surname, Anglicized from Ó Duinnchinn, from donn (“brown”) + ceann (“head”).
— Wiktionary's entry for Duncan
  • 2 syllables
Duncan through the years
  1. 1880
    First SSA year
    Already #526 among boys, with 12 babies in the first year on record.
  2. 1951
    Duncan Haldane born
    professor of physics at Princeton University
  3. 1994
    Duncan Laurence born
    Dutch singer
  4. 1997
    Peak, #378
    644 babies named Duncan, the most in any year.
  5. 2007
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births, down to #764.
In the dictionary
  • A male given name from Scottish Gaelic anglicized from Scottish Gaelic Donnchadh; the name of two early saints and of two kings of Scotland.
Namesakes
  • Duncan Haldane · professor of physics at Princeton University, born 1951
  • Duncan Laurence · Dutch singer, born 1994
  • Duncan I of Scotland · king of Scots from 1034 to 1040, 1001–1040
  • Duncan Edwards · English footballer, 1936–1958
  • Duncan II of Scotland · King of Scots, 1060–1094

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.