Given name & surname · also Scottish, English
Duncan
“a dark warrior”
Duncan is used as a given name and a surname. One Scottish interpretation is “a dark warrior.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Scottish interpretation is “a dark warrior.”
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Celtic and English naming traditions.
How it developed
This form developed as an English adaptation of a name used in another language.
The story
The name’s historical associations include a 7th-century Scottish saint, abbot of Iona, and a 10th-century Irish saint, abbot of Clonmacnoise.
Duncan through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 21,230
- 21,219 boys · 11 girls
- Most popular year
- 1997
- 644 babies
- 2025
- 190
- #1,124 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −8%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 190 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,124 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 8.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 644 in 1997. In 2025, California and Texas shared the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (15 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 17,445 as a first name in 2020; 129,708 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Duncan’s family of names
In English usage, Duncan has a diminutive in Dunc. In English usage, Duncan has a related form in DONKIN. In English usage, Duncan has a conventional equivalent in the Irish form DONNCHA.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Duncan has relatives in 4 languages. Lines run from its English roots to each of them.
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Dunkvariant
- Dunncanlikely variant
- Duncannlikely variant
- Dunnchadhvariant · Scottish Gaelic
- Donkinvariant · English
- Duncclipped form · English
- Dunkydiminutive · English
- Dunckvariant
Show 4 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Duncan
- Duncan LaurenceDutch singerborn 1994
- Duncan I of Scotlandking of Scots from 1034 to 10401001–1040
- Duncan EdwardsEnglish footballer (1936-1958)
- Duncan II of ScotlandKing of Scots1060–1094
- Duncan JamesEnglish singerborn 1979
- Duncan JonesBritish film directorborn 1971
- Duncan FergusonScottish association football player and manager (born 1971)
- Duncan ScottScottish swimmerborn 1997
- Duncan McNaughtonathletics competitor (1910-1998)
Characters named Duncan: Duncan Idaho (Dune).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Duncan, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Malcolm
“devotee of St Columba” · “dove”
>99% boys
Colin
“high” · “of the victorious people”
>99% boys
Dawson
“the son of David”
96% boys · 4% girls
Aidan
“one who is fiery; little fire” · “a fiery young man”
99% boys · 1% girls
Brendan
“born to royalty; a prince”
>99% boys
Dillon
“resembling a lion; a faithful man”
89% boys · 11% girls
Blaine
“a saint's servant” · “a thin woman”
92% boys · 8% girls
Quinton
“from the queen's town or settlement”
>99% boys