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Duncan

Boy name · 3,617 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Duncan: 3,617 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to boys, peaking at 130 births in 1974.

Derived from the Dun Donnchadh in Scottish Gaelic, this name means "brown warrior" or "dark-haired chief"—a fittingly strong and earthy title. Its most famous bearer is Duncan I, the 11th-century King of Alba whose murder by Macbeth, dramatised by Shakespeare, cemented the name in literary history. The name also crosses Scottish history with King Duncan II (r. 1094). Geographically, the capital of British Columbia, Canada—Victoria's neighbour—was named after one of its early settlers, and countless streets, towns, and highlands bear the name across Scotland and the diaspora. As a variant, Donnchadh and the Irish Donncha are close kin. Interestingly, Duncan remains strikingly constant in Scottish popularity, neither surging nor fading dramatically—a quietly reliable classic.