Duncan

maleScottish Gaelic (Anglicised), from Donnchadh

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'.

Origin: Scottish Gaelic (Anglicised), from Donnchadh

Official popularity data is available for 5 regions, from 1965 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #79 in New Zealand in 1974. See regions.

Duncan: Recorded since 1965, it reached #79 in 1974, and it stood at #1,538 in 2025.

5registrars recorded it
63times a registrar ranked it
61years from first to last
#79highest recorded position
17groupings it qualifies for

DUNG-kən/ˈdʌŋkən/

Compare Duncan Run Name Checker on Duncan

Data Confidence

Evidence: ModerateCompleteness: SubstantialEditorial review: 2026-07-21

Confidence in the evidencebehind this name's data — never a rating of the name itself, and never affected by how well it matches your preferences. How this is assessed

Because: backed by officially or academically authoritative sources, recently verified, popularity data covers multiple regions.

Source authority

Averaged from the real per-claim source-authority assessments already computed for this name's meaning/origin/pronunciation/popularity evidence.

Independent corroboration

Averaged from the real per-claim supporting-source counts already computed for this name's evidence.

See full evidence assessment (8 dimensions, 1 not yet tracked)

Source agreement

No recorded source disagreement for this name's meanings or origins.

Recency

Calculated from how long ago this record was last verified (2026-07-21), against a 270-day staleness threshold.

Geographic relevance

Calculated from the number of geographies with official popularity data (5) — broader official coverage means the evidence base is relevant to more of where the name is actually used.

Completeness

Calculated from how many of the expected data sections (variants, similar names, popularity, notable usage, IPA pronunciation) are actually populated for this name.

Direct observation vs. inference

Averaged from the real per-claim direct-observation-vs-inference ratios already computed for this name's evidence.

Identity & variant resolution quality

Cross-source identity and variant resolution requires HEKNO Knowledge, which isn't connected yet.

Name Characteristics

How these are calculated

Descriptive attributes of the name itself — not a confidence measurement, and not an overall quality score. Namewise doesn't approve or disapprove of names.

Pronunciation clarity

Editorial judgement of how consistently this name is pronounced correctly on first read, mapped from an easy/moderate/variable rating to a number. Describes the name — not a measure of evidence confidence.

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling: shorter names with fewer irregular letter clusters score higher. A disclosed formula, not an editorial opinion — and not a confidence measurement.

Recorded regional spread

Derived from how many geographies' official statistics record this name. It measures where the name is registered, not how well-known it feels to people living there.

International spread

Derived from the same official statistical coverage, scaled to reflect how widely the name crosses national datasets. Not a measure of how easily it is understood in another language.

Trend stability

Derived from the name's traditional/modern classification and its current popularity trend direction.

Overview

Origin: Scottish Gaelic (Anglicised), from Donnchadh
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'.
Pronunciation: DUNG-kən
Syllables: 2
Common nicknames: None recorded
Classification: Traditional & modern
Gender usage: male
Language family: Scottish Gaelic (Anglicised), from Donnchadh

Popularity

Region

Falling

among boys in England and Wales · 1996–2025

View as table

England and Wales · Boys rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#220
1997	#289
1998	#298
1999	#349
2000	#392
2001	#482
2002	#392
2003	#490
2004	#459
2005	#493
2006	#596
2007	#631
2008	#613
2009	#868
2010	#970
2011	#781
2012	#1270
2013	#882
2014	#1223
2015	#1442
2016	#1081
2017	#1042
2018	#1235
2019	#1655
2020	#1492
2021	#1782
2022	#1420
2023	#1207
2024	#1675
2025	#1538

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

FallingEngland and Wales · Boys

Recorded in official data among boys in Republic of Ireland in 23 of the 40 years from 1965 to 2004.

In 2024: #246 among boys in Scotland, #1675 among boys in England and Wales.

Official data from 5 national registrars across 5 regions, 1965–2025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

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
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #1538 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys

Duncan appears in 4 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is England and Wales · Boys, with 30 ranked years and 1,238 births registered; the earliest is Republic of Ireland · Boys, from 1965.

Duncan across 4 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Duncan's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Republic of Ireland · Boys	#250 (1965)	#184 (1971)	#506 (2004)	23 of 40	113 (1965–2004)	12 (1971)
England and Wales · Boys	#220 (1996)	#220 (1996)	#1538 (2025)	30 of 30	1,238 (1996–2025)	139 (1996)
New Zealand · Boys	#79 (1974)	#79 (1974)	#98 (1980)	7 of 7	471 (1974–1980)	86 (1974)
Northern Ireland · Boys	#248 (1997)	#221 (1998)	#221 (1998)	2 of 2	9 (1997–1998)	5 (1998)

Duncan by decade in England and Wales · Boys

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Duncan in England and Wales · Boys, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1990s	388	4 of 10	97
2000sbusiest	500	10 of 10	50
2010s	248	10 of 10	25
2020s	102	6 of 10	17

Across England and Wales · Boys, the 2000s were its busiest decade, averaging 50 births a year.

Its sharpest single-year move came between 1996 and 1997, when recorded births fell by 46, from 139 to 93.

See the names England and Waleshas recorded the most births with →

Duncan appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

What the record shows

Recorded by 5 registrars between 1965 and 2025, ranked in 50 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #79, first reached in 1974.

It held a top-100 place in 7 years, 7 of them consecutive.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 139 births, registered in England and Wales in 1996.

Its record falls into 6 separate stretches, with a longest absence of 3 years.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1974, and 59 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Duncan was ranked #79 in New Zealand · Boys in 1974. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Gary#75
Troy#76
Gareth#77
Kerry#78
Damian#80
Colin#81
George#82
Bradley#83

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Duke · #959, 27y
Dulcie · #463, 30y
Dunya · #1110, 23y
Duru · #3447, 14y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 5 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Adeline · #77, 45y
Ralph · #81, 52y
Yasmin · #81, 55y
Jasmin · #84, 46y

Also first recorded in the 1960s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1960 and 1969.

Rafal · #79, 50y
Rupert · #79, 35y
Daragh · #80, 62y
Dolores · #80, 57y

Duncan and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,577 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Duncan without appearing here.

Duncan moved ahead of

Calum
In 2024 they stood at #1675 and #1675 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2025 that had become #1538 and #3256.
Ross
In 2022 they stood at #1420 and #1366 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2023 that had become #1207 and #2160.
Brett
In 2015 they stood at #1442 and #1380 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2016 that had become #1081 and #1704.
Gary
In 2021 they stood at #1782 and #1329 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2022 that had become #1420 and #2018.

Moved ahead of Duncan

Kenneth
In 2018 they stood at #1235 and #1324 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2019 that had become #1655 and #929.
Darragh
In 2018 they stood at #1235 and #1991 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2019 that had become #1655 and #974.
Cillian
In 2011 they stood at #781 and #798 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2012 that had become #1270 and #734.
Tadhg
In 2014 they stood at #1223 and #1630 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2015 that had become #1442 and #996.

Moved the opposite way to Duncan

Aaron
Between 1965 and 2004 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Duncan went from #250 to #506 while Aaron went from #222 to #10.
Adam
Between 1965 and 2004 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Duncan went from #250 to #506 while Adam went from #157 to #4.
Alexander
Between 1965 and 2004 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Duncan went from #250 to #506 while Alexander went from #115 to #59.
Benjamin
Between 1965 and 2004 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Duncan went from #250 to #506 while Benjamin went from #148 to #57.

Moved the same way as Duncan

Adrian
Between 1965 and 2004 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Duncan went from #250 to #506 and Adrian from #62 to #167.
Arthur
Between 1965 and 2004 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Duncan went from #250 to #506 and Arthur from #91 to #214.
Denis
Between 1965 and 2004 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Duncan went from #250 to #506 and Denis from #24 to #129.
Edward
Between 1965 and 2004 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Duncan went from #250 to #506 and Edward from #17 to #95.

Meaning & Origin

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'.

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name, Online Etymology Dictionary.Confidence: high.

Scottish Gaelic (Anglicised), from Donnchadh

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Other names with a researched meaning and origin →

Where Duncan is officially recorded

5 official registrars have recorded Duncan, between 1965 and 2025, in 50 of those 61 years. Each registrar publishes for its own population on its own methodology, so the positions below are each one country's own ranking and are not comparable with one another.

Registrar	Recorded	Years	Its own highest position
Republic of Ireland	1965–2004	23	#184 in 1971
New Zealand	1974–1980	7	#79 in 1974
England and Wales	1996–2025	30	#220 in 1996
Northern Ireland	1997–1998	2	#221 in 1998
Scotland	2024	1	#246 in 2024

Its high point came 53 years earlier in Republic of Ireland (1971) than in Scotland (2024).

No registrar recorded it for 3 years after 1965; it appears again in 1969.

Variants

No spelling variants or nicknames recorded yet.

Similar Names

No similar names recorded yet for this name.

Similarity is a demonstration score — see methodology.

Spelling

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling — see Name Characteristics above.

No commonly used alternate spellings recorded.

Pronunciation

DUNG-kən/ˈdʌŋkən/

Syllables: 2
Ease: easy

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Where Duncan Is Recorded

National statistical agencies have recorded Duncan in these places. This shows where the name is used — not where it comes from, and not that it carries particular cultural significance there.

England and WalesNorthern IrelandScotlandRepublic of IrelandNew Zealand

Notable Usage

No safely-sourced notable usage recorded for this name yet.

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

Preview with a surname

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Full sibling-set and initials-across-a-shortlist matching is a planned premium feature — see Premium.

Duncan

Duncan at a glance

Overview

Popularity

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Duncan across 4 official records

Duncan by decade in England and Wales · Boys

Duncan appears in

What the record shows

Names published alongside Duncan

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1960s

Duncan and the names beside it

Duncan moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Duncan

Moved the opposite way to Duncan

Moved the same way as Duncan

Meaning & Origin

Where Duncan is officially recorded

Variants

Similar Names

Spelling

Pronunciation

Where Duncan Is Recorded

Notable Usage

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

Duncan at a glance

Duncan across 4 official records

Duncan by decade in England and Wales · Boys

Duncan appears in

What the record shows

Names published alongside Duncan

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1960s

Duncan and the names beside it

Duncan moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Duncan

Moved the opposite way to Duncan

Moved the same way as Duncan