Duncan (given name)

Duncan
Gender	Male
Origin
Meaning	chief
Region of origin	Scotland
Other names
Nickname(s)	Dunc
Related names	Donnchadh, Donncha, Donagh

Duncan is a masculine given name of Scottish origin. It is an Anglicised form of Irish and Scottish Gaelic Donnchadh. One of the first people to bear the name was king of Dál Riata Dúnchad mac Dubáin, who was possibly the grandfather of Fiannamail ua Dúnchado-Fiannamail O'Dúnchado. The final letter n in the Anglicised Duncan seems to be a result of confusion in the Latin form of the name—Duncanus—with the Gaelic word ceann, meaning "head".[1] One opinion is that the Gaelic Donnchadh is composed of the elements donn, meaning "dark or dark-haired man" or "chieftain"; and cath, meaning "battle", together meaning "dark-haired or dark warrior".[2] Another opinion is that the Gaelic Donnchadh is composed of the elements donn, meaning "brown"; and chadh, meaning "chief" or "noble".[1]

Variations

Old Irish	Modern Irish	Hiberno-English	Scottish Gaelic	Scottish English
Donnchadh	Donncha	Donagh	Donnchadh	Duncan

Royalty

Duncan I of Scotland (died 1040), king of Alba, the inspiration for King Duncan in Shakespeare's play Macbeth
Duncan II of Scotland (1060–1094) king of Scots

Sports

Duncan Atwood (born 1955), American javelin thrower
Duncan Clark (athlete) (1915–2003), Scottish hammer thrower
Duncan Edwards (1936–1958), English footballer
Duncan Ferguson (born 1971), Scottish footballer
Duncan Goodhew, Olympic swimmer for Great Britain
Duncan Keith, Canadian ice hockey player
Duncan Kibet (born 1978), Kenyan long-distance runner
Duncan Legere (born 1989), Canadian fencer
Duncan Lindsay (1902–1972), Scottish footballer
Duncan McClure, (1913–1991), Scottish footballer
Duncan Reid (born 1989), Hong Kong basketball player
Duncan Robinson (basketball), (born 1994), American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat
Duncan Weir (born 1991), Scottish rugby union player

Theatre and movies

Duncan Jones, British-American movie director and writer of Moon and Warcraft
Duncan Lamont (born 1918), Scottish actor
Duncan Pflaster (born 1973), American playwright and actor
Duncan Regehr, Canadian stage, film and television actor

Literature

Duncan Campbell Scott (1862-1947), Canadian poet

Music

Duncan Coutts (born 1969), Canadian bassist for Our Lady Peace
Duncan James (born 1978), British singer
Duncan Laurence (born 1994), Dutch singer
Duncan Sheik, American singer

Politics

Duncan Baird, American politician
Duncan Hunter, American politician
Duncan D. Hunter, American politician

Journalism

Duncan McCue, Canadian journalist

Business

Duncan Bannatyne, Scottish entrepreneur
Duncan Hines, American entrepreneur
Duncan Phyfe (originally Duncan Fife, 1770–1854), Scots-born American cabinetmaker

Fictional characters

Duncan, a character in the Total Drama animated series
Duncan Douglass, a character in Freakazoid!
Duncan Idaho, a character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert
King Duncan, a character in William Shakespeare's play Macbeth, based on Duncan I of Scotland
Duncan MacLeod, a character in Highlander: The Series
Ser Duncan the Tall, a character in Tales of Dunk and Egg, a series of novellas written by George R. R. Martin, set in the world of his Song of Ice and Fire cycle

References

Hanks, Patrick; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Hardcastle, Kate (ed.). Oxford Dictionary of Names (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 81, 402. ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1.
"Duncan Name Meaning and History". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 9 August 2009. For the etymology of the surname Duncan this web page cites: Dictionary of American Family Names.

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[Oxford-1] Hanks, Patrick; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Hardcastle, Kate (ed.). Oxford Dictionary of Names (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 81, 402. ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1.

[Duncan-2] "Duncan Name Meaning and History". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 9 August 2009. For the etymology of the surname Duncan this web page cites: Dictionary of American Family Names.