Duncan
Boy name · Celtic · Gaelic · Scottish
Meaningdark warrior · Scottish
- US rank
- #1,123
- Syllables
- 2
- Peak
- #378 in 1997
190 babies were named Duncan in the US in 2025. It has dropped 141 places in five years.
Found on lists
Save adds it to your list. Vote moves it up the top voted names.
US births per million girls, 1996–2025
US births per million boys, 1880–2025
Most popular states (2025)
Similar names
Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration (babies with 5+ births per year).
Did you know?
A few things about Duncan you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.
Famous Duncan
Duncan Haldane
Professor of physics at Princeton University
Choose Duncan and your child shares a first name with Duncan Haldane, a professor of physics at Princeton University. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Duncan, like who?” Duncan Haldane's Wikipedia article is available in 66 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.
Read about Duncan Haldane on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Photo: Bengt Nyman from Vaxholm, Sweden, CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons
- How commonAbout 1 in every 8,993 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Duncan, 190 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Duncan would very likely be the only one.
- HistoryDuncan has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Duncans, and counting.
- Best yearIts best year was 1997, when it reached #378.
- Then vs nowDuncan was 2.4× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 3,705 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 8,993.
- TrendDuncan has slipped 141 places over the last five years and now sits at #1,123. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
- Where it's lovedDuncan is most popular in Oregon, where it ranks #604, followed by Colorado (#626) and Wisconsin (#678). It's in the top 1,000 in 11 states.
- MeaningIn Scottish, Duncan means “dark warrior”. Our records link it to Celtic, Gaelic and Scottish roots.
About the name Duncan
Duncan is a boy name of Celtic, Gaelic and Scottish origin meaning “dark warrior”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with D and ending in “-can”. US birth records list Duncan for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 145 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1997, when it ranked #378 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #1,123, with 190 babies.
Origin:Celtic namesGaelic namesScottish names
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.8 | 1,176,471 girls |
| 2010s | 0.5 | 2,142,857 girls |
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 128 | 7,830 boys |
| 1890s | 102 | 9,818 boys |
| 1900s | 87 | 11,452 boys |
| 1910s | 85 | 11,822 boys |
| 1920s | 70 | 14,349 boys |
| 1930s | 62 | 16,184 boys |
| 1940s | 79 | 12,645 boys |
| 1950s | 87 | 11,436 boys |
| 1960s | 71 | 14,061 boys |
| 1970s | 56 | 17,727 boys |
| 1980s | 76 | 13,139 boys |
| 1990s | 219 | 4,568 boys |
| 2000s | 199 | 5,014 boys |
| 2010s | 143 | 7,012 boys |
| 2020s | 127 | 7,883 boys |
More Celtic boy names
- Unisex name: Owen · well-born
- Unisex name: Logan · little hollow
- Unisex name: Rowan · little red-haired one
- Unisex name: Nolan · descendant of Nuallán
- Unisex name: Cameron · crooked nose
- Boy name: Ian · God is gracious
- Unisex name: Gael · a Gael
- Boy name: Arthur · possibly bear
Questions about the name Duncan
What does the name Duncan mean?
Duncan means “dark warrior” in Scottish.
What is the origin of the name Duncan?
Duncan has Celtic, Gaelic, Scottish roots in our records. Other Celtic names include Owen, Logan, Rowan.
Is Duncan a boy or girl name?
Duncan is a boy name.
How popular is the name Duncan?
Duncan ranked #1,123 for US boys in 2025, given to 190 babies. Its best year was 1997 (#378).