Duncan (given name)
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Meaning | chief |
Duncan is a given name. It is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Donnchadh. 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 |
Given name
In royalty:
- Duncan I of Scotland (died 1040), king of Alba, represented in Shakespeare's play Macbeth
- Duncan II of Scotland (1060–1094) king of Scots
In sports:
- Duncan Atwood (born 1955), American javelin thrower
- Duncan Clark (athlete) (1915–2003), Scottish hammer thrower
- Duncan Edwards (1936–1958), English football player
- Duncan Ferguson (footballer), Scottish football player
- Duncan Goodhew, Olympic swimmer for Great Britain
- Duncan Keith, Canadian ice hockey player
- Duncan Kibet (born 1978), Kenyan long-distance runner
- Duncan Morton Lindsay (1902-1972), Scottish football player
- Duncan Reid (born 1989), Hong Kong basketball player
In acting:
- Duncan Regehr, Canadian stage, film and television actor
- Duncan Pflaster (born 1973), American playwright and actor
In movies:
- Duncan Jones, director and writer of Moon, Warcraft.
In literature:
- Duncan Campbell Scott (1862-1947), Canadian poet
In music:
- Duncan Coutts (born 1969), Canadian bassist for Our Lady Peace
- Duncan James (born 1978), British singer
- Duncan Sheik, American singer
In politics:
- Duncan Baird, American politician
- Duncan D. Hunter, American politician
- Duncan Hunter, American politician
In journalism:
- Duncan McCue, Canadian journalist
In business:
- Duncan Bannatyne, Scottish entrepreneur
In fiction:
- Duncan, narrow gauge tank engine from Thomas & Friends
- Duncan, a character from the Total Drama animated series
- Duncan Douglass, character from Freakazoid
- Duncan Idaho, fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert
- Duncan (locomotive), character in the Thomas & Friends children's TV series
- Duncan MacLeod, immortal hero in Highlander: The Series
- King Duncan, a character in William Shakespeare's play Macbeth
- Lily Duncan, a fictional character from Mona the Vampire
- Ser Duncan the Tall, a fictional character from 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
See also
References
- ^ a b 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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