Meaning & Origin
A male given name from Scottish Gaelic anglicized from Scottish Gaelic Donnchadh; the name of two early saints and of two kings of Scotland.
Duncan is a boy's and girl's baby name of Scottish Gaelic origin, from Donnchadh, composed of donn (brown, dark) and chadh (warrior), meaning 'dark warrior' or 'brown-haired fighter.'
Borne by two medieval kings of Scotland, Duncan gained literary immortality as the murdered king in Shakespeare's Macbeth. In modern culture it's the name of a beloved character in Sons of Anarchy and carries a warm, unpretentious Scottish character. It's been quietly underused in the U.S. and is ripe for rediscovery.