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
Along the way
  1. 1880
    First SSA year
    Already #526 among boys — 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 — more than any year before or since.
  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.