Duncan

Meaning

The name is generally linked to the Gaelic Donncha/Donnach, which Charnock explains as from elements meaning “brown-haired” and “warrior” or “dog,” giving the sense of a brown-haired fighter. One 1884 source also glosses Duncan as “brown chief,” and another notes it as a Scottish surname and suggests the idea of a “powerful chieftain.”

Origin

Fun fact

The surname Duncan appears in Scottish records early enough that Annabel Fitz Duncan carried it into another family line in 1158.