Duncan
2025 SSA
Below 5 births
About Duncan
Duncan is jaunty, confident, and open, a Scottish royal name that's brimming with friendly charm and makes it into our golden circle of names that are neither too popular nor too strange. Popularity aside, Duncan is one of the most classic Scottish names for boys.
From a surname based on a clan name, Duncan was the name of a Scottish saint and two early Kings of the Scots. The beneficent Duncan I, who lived in the eleventh century, was immortalized in Shakespeare's Macbeth.
The brave and handsome Major Duncan Heyward is one of the main characters in James Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans. Other cultural references include Duncan Idaho, the only character to appear in all of Frank Herbert's Dune novels; Duncan MacLeod, the immortal protagonist of Highlander; one of Garp's sons in The World According to Garp; and singer-songwriter Duncan Sheik.
David Bowie's son Zowie changed his name first to Joey and then finally to Duncan.
Duncan peaked int he late 90s and has been a downfall since, even falling out of the Top 1000 in 2021 — but made a reappearance in 2022.
Duncan is also given to girls.
Pronounced DUN-kun.
As of October 2026, Duncan ranked #1124 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #378 in 1997, Nameberry popularity #254.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #800 | 287 | 149.4 |
| 2015 | #790 | 294 | 153.4 |
| 2016 | #806 | 286 | 150.7 |
| 2017 | #869 | 251 | 135.6 |
| 2018 | #916 | 235 | 129.4 |
| 2019 | #1,014 | 205 | 114.3 |
| 2020 | #982 | 217 | 125.7 |
| 2021 | #1,016 | 216 | 123.5 |
| 2022 | #918 | 252 | 144.3 |
| 2023 | #930 | 244 | 142.6 |
| 2024 | #1,102 | 194 | 112.6 |
| 2025 | #1,124 | 190 | 111.2 |
World rankings
Duncan for boys
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Duncan.
Duncan on lists
Famous Duncans
- Duncan I and IIBoy
Kings of Scotland
- Duncan Lee HunterBoy
U.S. Congressman from California
- Duncan Duane HunterBoy
U.S. Congressman; son of Duncan L. Hunter
- Duncan SheikBoy
American singer
- Duncan Walker BannatyneBoy
Scottish entrepreneur and TV personality
- Duncan James (born Duncan Matthew James Inglis)Boy
English singer and actor
- Duncan KeithBoy
Canadian hockey player
- Duncan EdwardsBoy
English footballer
- Duncan Cowan FergusonBoy
Scottish footballer
- Duncan Alexander GoodhewBoy
English swimmer
- Duncan Campbell ScottBoy
Canadian poet
- (Robert) Duncan CouttsBoy
bassist of Canadian band Our Lady Peace
- Duncan JonesBoy
Youtuber and member of The Yogscast
- (Charles) Duncan TrussellBoy
American actor & comic
- Duncan HinesBoy
American restaurant critic; origin of the food brand
- Duncan Zowie Haywood JonesBoy
British singer; son of singer David Bowie
- Duncan JosephBoy
American YouTuber
Duncan in pop culture
- DuncanBoy
character in Shakespeare's Macbeth
- DuncanBoy
narrow gauge tank engine on animated series Thomas & Friends
- Duncan DouglassBoy
character on animated series Freakazoid
- DuncanBoy
Idaho, character in the Dune series by Frank Herbert
- Duncan MacLeodBoy
immortal hero in Highlander: The Series
- Ser Duncan the TallBoy
character in George R.R. Martin's Tales of Dunk and Egg
- DuncanBoy
donut character in Disney's "Wreck,it Ralph"; a pun of Dunkin' Donuts
- Duncan QuagmireBoy
triplet brother of Isadora and Quigley in "A Series of Unfortunate Events"
- Duncan FletcherBoy
main character in TV movie "My Date with the President's Daughter"
- DuncanBoy
character in movie "The Way, Way Back"
- DuncanBoy
a major character in the video game "Dragon Age"
- Duncan MckayBoy
character on British TV series Monarch of the Glen
- DuncanBoy
the main character in novel Acceleration
- Duncan KaneBoy
a character on TV's Veronica Mars
- DuncanBoy
a character on animated series "Total Drama"
- Duncan HinesBoy
American food brand
- Duncan MorseBoy
character in "The Martha Years" book series by Melissa Wiley