Duncan vs Garvan
Duncan and Garvancompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2004, Duncan was ranked #506 and Garvan #506 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Duncan and Garvan over time
Duncan and Garvan appear together in 1 published list, across 15 years of shared records. Garvan held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Duncan in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Duncan and Garvan changed places 8 times in Republic of Ireland · Boys between 1970 and 2004, ending at #506 and #506.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Duncan #200 in 1973, Garvan #193 in 1973.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys15 shared years, 1970–2004
Duncan held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Garvan in 7.
Highest recorded here: Duncan #200 in 1973, Garvan #193 in 1973.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2004: Duncan #506, Garvan #506.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Duncan | Garvan |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Commonly glossed as 'brown warrior', though sources disagree on the compound's second element: Behind the Name gives 'brown' + 'battle', while Etymonline gives 'brown' + 'head'. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Scottish Gaelic (Anglicised), from Donnchadh | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdʌŋkən/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Scotland · Boys #246 (2024) | Republic of Ireland · Boys #698 (2008) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Duncan has a recorded origin (Scottish Gaelic (Anglicised), from Donnchadh); Garvan does not have one recorded yet.
- Duncan and Garvan both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Duncan; Garvan doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in IE.
How each name got here
Duncan
Popularity journey
First recorded1965
First recorded at #250 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1965 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1974–1980
Highest recorded position: #79 among boys in New Zealand, in 1974 (recorded 1974–1980).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #1675 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys
Garvan
Popularity journey
First recorded1966
First recorded at #229 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1966 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1966–2008
Highest recorded position: #193 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1973 (recorded 1966–2008).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2008
Most recently recorded at #698 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2008.
Republic of Ireland · Boys