The surname Duncan
A patronymic surname, carried by 135,187 people in the United States.
Pronounced /ˈdʌŋkən/ 2 syllables Soundex D525 Also a first name
Origin
* As a Scottish Gaelic and Irish surname, from Donnchadh, a name composed of donn (“brown”) + cath (“battle”). Also spelled as Donagh and Donaghue, Donahue. * Also as an Irish surname, Anglicized from Ó Duinnchinn, from donn (“brown”) + ceann (“head”).
Duncan is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How common it is
2010 US Census
There were 135,187 people named Duncan in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,284 Americans. That is up 3.7% since 2000, when the Census counted 130,419.
Who is named Duncan
Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census
76% of people named Duncan identified as white (not Hispanic), 17% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.5% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).
- White (not Hispanic) 76%
- Black (not Hispanic) 17%
- Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.5%
- Two or more races 2.2%
- American Indian and Alaska Native 1.0%
- Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%
Famous Duncans
41 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Isadora DuncanaAmerican dancer and choreographer (1877–1927)
- Michael Clarke DuncanAmerican actor (1957–2012)
- Tim DuncanAmerican basketball player (born 1976)
- Arne DuncanAmerican educator, born 1964
- Sandy DuncanAmerican actress, comedian, dancer and singer (born 1946)
- Lois DuncanAmerican young-adult and children's writer (1934-2016)
- David Douglas DuncanAmerican photographer (1916-2018)
- Robert DuncanAmerican poet (1919-1988)
- Jimmy DuncanAmerican politician, born 1947
- Mary DuncanAmerican actress (1895-1993)
- James DuncanAmerican discus thrower (1887–1955)
- Joseph DuncanAmerican politician (1794-1844)
Notable Duncans come mostly from the United States (33), Jamaica (1) and Brazil (1).
Spellings and sound-alikes
Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling
Questions
- Where does the surname Duncan come from?
- * As a Scottish Gaelic and Irish surname, from Donnchadh, a name composed of donn (“brown”) + cath (“battle”). Also spelled as Donagh and Donaghue, Donahue. * Also as an Irish surname, Anglicized from Ó Duinnchinn, from donn (“brown”) + ceann (“head”).
- How common is the surname Duncan?
- 135,187 people in the United States had the surname Duncan in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,284 Americans. It ranked 212th of 162,253 surnames.
- What ethnicity is the surname Duncan?
- In the 2010 Census, 76% of people named Duncan identified as white (not Hispanic), and 17% as Black (not Hispanic).
- Who is the most famous person named Duncan?
- Isadora Duncana, American dancer and choreographer (1877–1927), followed by Michael Clarke Duncan.
- Where is the surname Duncan most common?
- Wikidata records people named Duncan in the United States, Jamaica and Brazil and 3 other countries.
- How do you pronounce Duncan?
- Duncan is /ˈdʌŋkən/, 2 syllables.
- What type of surname is Duncan?
- Duncan is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
- Is the surname Duncan getting more or less common?
- More common. 130,419 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 135,187 in 2010, up 3.7%.
- What are other spellings of Duncan?
- Donkin and Dunkin.
- Is Duncan also a first name?
- Yes. Duncan is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.