Boy
Duncan
dark warrior, dark-skinned warrior
About Duncan
Duncan carries a dignified presence that balances traditional strength with approachable warmth. This name has graced kings and scholars throughout history, yet it never feels pretentious or overly formal. Parents who choose Duncan often appreciate names that sound complete and substantial without requiring nicknames, though "Dunc" emerges naturally among friends. The name possesses a certain groundedness—it evokes images of someone reliable, thoughtful, and unshakeable in their convictions. In childhood, Duncan works beautifully across all stages, from the preschool classroom to the graduation stage. It ages gracefully, suiting both a curious toddler and a distinguished professional equally well. The strong consonants give it a decisive quality, while the flowing middle syllable prevents it from feeling harsh. Duncan represents a choice that honors heritage while remaining thoroughly contemporary, never trendy enough to date but never so obscure as to require constant explanation.
Popularity of the Name Duncan
Rank among the 1,000 most popular baby names, by year.
| United States | United Kingdom | New Zealand | Ireland | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | #540 | ||||
| 1881 | #511 | ||||
| 1882 | #550 | ||||
| 1883 | #416 | ||||
| 1884 | #626 | ||||
| 1885 | #507 | ||||
| 1886 | #552 | ||||
| 1887 | #396 | ||||
| 1888 | #511 | ||||
| 1889 | #468 | ||||
| 1890 | #684 | ||||
| 1891 | #612 | ||||
| 1892 | #448 | ||||
| 1893 | #668 | ||||
| 1894 | #683 | ||||
| 1895 | #562 | ||||
| 1896 | #559 | ||||
| 1897 | #802 | ||||
| 1898 | #615 | ||||
| 1899 | #672 | ||||
| 1900 | #606 | #113 | |||
| 1901 | #879 | ||||
| 1902 | #698 | #84 | |||
| 1903 | #557 | #100 | |||
| 1904 | #572 | #105 | |||
| 1905 | #713 | #97 | |||
| 1906 | #771 | #89 | |||
| 1907 | #782 | #100 | |||
| 1908 | #720 | #93 | |||
| 1910 | #829 | #108 | |||
| 1911 | #614 | #98 | |||
| 1912 | #601 | #116 | |||
| 1913 | #653 | #117 | |||
| 1914 | #716 | #106 | |||
| 1915 | #701 | #108 | |||
| 1916 | #754 | #107 | |||
| 1917 | #762 | #123 | |||
| 1918 | #703 | #112 | |||
| 1919 | #762 | #108 | |||
| 1920 | #696 | #108 | |||
| 1921 | #775 | #109 | |||
| 1922 | #723 | #140 | |||
| 1923 | #779 | #120 | |||
| 1924 | #763 | #113 | |||
| 1925 | #698 | ||||
| 1926 | #759 | #118 | |||
| 1927 | #899 | #132 | |||
| 1928 | #665 | #139 | |||
| 1929 | #757 | #126 | |||
| 1930 | #786 | #129 | |||
| 1931 | #785 | #140 | |||
| 1932 | #781 | ||||
| 1933 | #786 | #140 | |||
| 1934 | #866 | #143 | |||
| 1935 | #753 | #147 | |||
| 1936 | #732 | ||||
| 1937 | #716 | #136 | |||
| 1938 | #738 | #131 | |||
| 1939 | #734 | #132 | |||
| 1940 | #643 | #155 | |||
| 1941 | #590 | #148 | |||
| 1942 | #572 | #153 | |||
| 1943 | #613 | #126 | |||
| 1944 | #612 | #146 | |||
| 1945 | #563 | #140 | |||
| 1946 | #586 | #170 | |||
| 1947 | #538 | #167 | |||
| 1948 | #578 | #132 | |||
| 1949 | #567 | #142 | |||
| 1950 | #589 | #138 | |||
| 1951 | #590 | #143 | |||
| 1952 | #588 | #151 | |||
| 1953 | #589 | #156 | |||
| 1954 | #588 | #150 | |||
| 1955 | #615 | #112 | |||
| 1956 | #567 | #138 | |||
| 1957 | #536 | #110 | |||
| 1958 | #472 | #126 | |||
| 1959 | #490 | #126 | |||
| 1960 | #594 | #123 | |||
| 1961 | #650 | #113 | |||
| 1962 | #649 | #104 | |||
| 1963 | #493 | #122 | |||
| 1964 | #626 | #134 | |||
| 1965 | #661 | #112 | #264 | ||
| 1966 | #722 | #119 | |||
| 1967 | #795 | #149 | |||
| 1968 | #749 | #119 | |||
| 1969 | #785 | #126 | #278 | ||
| 1970 | #713 | #110 | #263 | ||
| 1971 | #829 | #118 | #185 | ||
| 1972 | #879 | #120 | #322 | ||
| 1973 | #728 | #104 | #203 | ||
| 1974 | #871 | #78 | #278 | ||
| 1975 | #896 | #82 | #302 | ||
| 1976 | #915 | #88 | #236 | ||
| 1977 | #984 | #82 | #259 | ||
| 1978 | #940 | #95 | #264 | ||
| 1979 | #961 | #99 | #345 | ||
| 1980 | #901 | #96 | #297 | ||
| 1981 | #980 | #119 | #341 | ||
| 1982 | #922 | #116 | #227 | ||
| 1983 | #753 | #132 | #300 | ||
| 1984 | #746 | #137 | #287 | ||
| 1985 | #690 | #143 | |||
| 1986 | #712 | #185 | #267 | ||
| 1987 | #715 | #147 | |||
| 1988 | #720 | #157 | |||
| 1989 | #687 | #170 | |||
| 1990 | #736 | #237 | #299 | ||
| 1991 | #659 | #219 | #286 | ||
| 1992 | #637 | #214 | #284 | ||
| 1993 | #566 | #193 | #354 | #256 | |
| 1994 | #512 | #154 | #280 | ||
| 1995 | #473 | #210 | #252 | ||
| 1996 | #444 | #181 | #346 | #251 | |
| 1997 | #378 | #207 | #215 | #224 | |
| 1998 | #386 | #214 | #250 | #393 | #234 |
| 1999 | #410 | #258 | #226 | #233 | |
| 2000 | #447 | #274 | #222 | #210 | |
| 2001 | #474 | #323 | #326 | #254 | |
| 2002 | #487 | #269 | #249 | #272 | |
| 2003 | #543 | #297 | #258 | #298 | |
| 2004 | #567 | #298 | #330 | #544 | #274 |
| 2005 | #619 | #345 | #319 | ||
| 2006 | #656 | #424 | #390 | ||
| 2007 | #765 | #414 | #324 | ||
| 2008 | #716 | #429 | #418 | #427 | |
| 2009 | #735 | #550 | #431 | ||
| 2010 | #709 | #616 | #397 | ||
| 2011 | #801 | #546 | #301 | #401 | |
| 2012 | #831 | #803 | #435 | ||
| 2013 | #823 | #606 | #414 | ||
| 2014 | #801 | #646 | #377 | ||
| 2015 | #790 | #806 | #485 | ||
| 2016 | #806 | #726 | #534 | ||
| 2017 | #869 | #775 | #489 | ||
| 2018 | #917 | #805 | #507 | ||
| 2020 | #982 | #887 | #691 | ||
| 2022 | #915 | #876 | #491 | ||
| 2023 | #930 | #800 | #699 | ||
| 1909 | #124 | ||||
| 2019 | #657 | ||||
| 2021 | #628 | ||||
| 2024 | #774 | ||||
| 2025 | #921 |
Top names by country: United States · United Kingdom · New Zealand · Ireland · Canada
Variations of Name Duncan
- Dunstan
- Dunkan
- Dunchad
- Donncha
Names Similar to Duncan
Nicknames for Duncan
- Dunc
- Dan
- Dunky
- Dunky
- Dunk
Famous People Named Duncan
| Duncan Jones | Film director and son of musician David Bowie |
| Duncan Keith | Canadian ice hockey player |
| Duncan Ferguson | Former Scottish professional footballer |
| Duncan James | English singer and actor |
| Duncan Hines | American entrepreneur and pioneer of packaged foods |
| Duncan Laurence | Dutch singer-songwriter and winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 |
| Duncan Sheik | American singer-songwriter and composer |
| Duncan Bannatyne | Scottish entrepreneur and television personality |
| Duncan Edwards | English footballer and one of the "Busby Babes" |
| Duncan Hunter | American politician and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives |
| Duncan Watmore | English professional footballer |
| Duncan MacDougall | American physician known for his experiments on measuring the weight of the soul |
| Duncan Phyfe | Scottish-American furniture designer |
| Duncan Lacroix | Scottish actor known for his role in the TV series "Outlander" |
| Duncan Fletcher | Former Zimbabwean cricketer and coach of the England national cricket team |
| Duncan Campbell | British journalist and television presenter |
| Duncan Norvelle | English comedian and impressionist |
| Duncan Mighty | Nigerian musician and music producer |
| Duncan Regehr | Canadian actor and artist |
Characters Named Duncan
| Duncan MacLeod | Character from the TV series "Highlander" |
| Duncan Quagmire | Character from the "A Series of Unfortunate Events" books by Lemony Snicket |
| Duncan Kane | Character from the TV series "Veronica Mars" |
| Duncan Shepherd | Character from the novel "The Shipping News" by Annie Proulx |
| Duncan Heyward | Character from the novel "The Last of the Mohicans" by James Fenimore Cooper |
| Duncan Stiel | Character from the "Gabriel Allon" series by Daniel Silva |
| Duncan Fisher | Character from the "BattleTech" series of tabletop games |
| Duncan Walpole | Character from the video game "Assassin's Creed IV - Black Flag" |
| Duncan Macintosh | Character from the TV series "The Murdoch Mysteries" |
| Duncan Vizla | Character from the film "Polar" |
| Duncan Rosenblatt | Character from the TV series "Succession" |
| Duncan Idaho | Character from the TV series "Riverdale" |
| Duncan Wily | Character from the TV series "Peaky Blinders" |
| Duncan Allenmeyer | Character from the film "The Family Man" |
| Duncan MacKenzie | Character from the film "Bobby" |
| Duncan Sandys | Character from the film "X-Men - The Last Stand" |
| Duncan Deaver | Character from the film "Murder by Numbers" |