Duncan

Scottish

"dark warrior"

Duncan Origin and Meaning

The name Duncan is a boy's name of Scottish origin meaning "dark warrior".

Duncan is jaunty, confident, and open, a Scottish royal name that's brimming with friendly charm and makes it into our golden circle of names that are neither too popular nor too strange. Popularity aside, Duncan is one of the most classic Scottish names for boys.

From a surname based on a clan name, Duncan was the name of a Scottish saint and two early Kings of the Scots. The beneficent Duncan I, who lived in the eleventh century, was immortalized in Shakespeare's Macbeth.

The brave and handsome Major Duncan Heyward is one of the main characters in James Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans. Other cultural references include Duncan Idaho, the only character to appear in all of Frank Herbert's Dune novels; Duncan MacLeod, the immortal protagonist of Highlander; one of Garp's sons in The World According to Garp; and singer-songwriter Duncan Sheik.

David Bowie's son Zowie changed his name first to Joey and then finally to Duncan.

Duncan peaked int he late 90s and has been a downfall since, even falling out of the Top 1000 in 2021 — but made a reappearance in 2022.

Duncan Rank in US Top 1000

# 930 in the US

Duncan Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 459 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Duncan

• 930 US 2023
• 459 Nameberry 2025
• 17 Unique 2021
• 937 Future 2028

20 Names Similar to Duncan

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Duncan.

• Ruben
• Samson
• Conrad
• Julien
• Roland
• Jonas
• Malcom
• Ivan
• Desmond
• Quentin
• Russell
• Donovan
• Warren
• Abram
• Malcolm
• Reuben
• Neil
• Abel
• Glenn
• Lawrence

Famous People Named Duncan

• Duncan I and II Kings of Scotland
• Duncan Lee Hunter U.S. Congressman from California
• Duncan Duane Hunter U.S. Congressman; son of Duncan L. Hunter
• Duncan Sheik American singer
• Duncan Walker Bannatyne Scottish entrepreneur and TV personality
• Duncan James (born Duncan Matthew James Inglis) English singer and actor
• Duncan Keith Canadian hockey player
• Duncan Edwards English footballer
• Duncan Cowan Ferguson Scottish footballer
• Duncan Alexander Goodhew English swimmer
• Duncan Campbell Scott Canadian poet
• (Robert) Duncan Coutts bassist of Canadian band Our Lady Peace
• Duncan Jones Youtuber and member of The Yogscast
• (Charles) Duncan Trussell American actor & comic
• Duncan Hines American restaurant critic; origin of the food brand
• Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones British singer; son of singer David Bowie

The name Duncan in Pop Culture

• Duncan character in Shakespeare's Macbeth
• Duncan narrow gauge tank engine on animated series Thomas & Friends
• Duncan Douglass character on animated series Freakazoid
• Duncan Idaho, character in the Dune series by Frank Herbert
• Duncan MacLeod immortal hero in Highlander: The Series
• Ser Duncan the Tall character in George R.R. Martin's Tales of Dunk and Egg
• Duncan donut character in Disney's "Wreck,it Ralph"; a pun of Dunkin' Donuts
• Duncan Quagmire triplet brother of Isadora and Quigley in "A Series of Unfortunate Events"
• Duncan Fletcher main character in TV movie "My Date with the President's Daughter"
• Duncan character in movie "The Way, Way Back"
• Duncan a major character in the video game "Dragon Age"
• Duncan Mckay character on British TV series Monarch of the Glen
• Duncan the main character in novel Acceleration
• Duncan Kane a character on TV's Veronica Mars
• Duncan a character on animated series "Total Drama"
• Duncan Hines American food brand
• Duncan Morse character in "The Martha Years" book series by Melissa Wiley