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.

# 930 in the US

Duncan Rank in US Top 1000

# 438 on Nameberry

Duncan Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Duncan Popularity

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

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