Duncan

//ˈdʌŋkən// name

name ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A male given name from Scottish Gaelic anglicized from Scottish Gaelic Donnchadh; the name of two early saints and of two kings of Scotland. countable, uncountable

    "For them the gracious Duncan I have murder'd"

  2. 2
    A Scottish surname originating as a patronymic. countable, uncountable
  3. 3
    A surname from Irish, a variant of Dinkin. countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    An Irish surname, a variant of Donegan. countable, uncountable
  5. 5
    An Irish surname, a variant of Dunican. countable, uncountable
Show 19 more definitions
  1. 6
    An Irish surname, adopted as an anglicization of Ó Donnchadha (whence Donoghue). countable, uncountable
  2. 7
    A locality in Kangaroo Island council area, South Australia; named for politician John Duncan. countable, uncountable
  3. 8
    A city in the Regional District of Cowichan Valley, British Columbia, Canada; named for early settler William Chalmers Duncan. countable, uncountable
  4. 9
    A locale in the United States:; A town in Greenlee County, Arizona; named for copper businessman Duncan Smith. countable, uncountable
  5. 10
    A locale in the United States:; A township in Mercer County, Illinois. countable, uncountable
  6. 11
    A locale in the United States:; A census-designated place in Hancock County, Iowa. countable, uncountable
  7. 12
    A locale in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Casey County, Kentucky. countable, uncountable
  8. 13
    A locale in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Mercer County, Kentucky. countable, uncountable
  9. 14
    A locale in the United States:; A township in Houghton County, Michigan. countable, uncountable
  10. 15
    A locale in the United States:; A town in Bolivar County, Mississippi. countable, uncountable
  11. 16
    A locale in the United States:; A township in Sullivan County, Missouri. countable, uncountable
  12. 17
    A locale in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Webster County and Wright County, Missouri. countable, uncountable
  13. 18
    A locale in the United States:; A village in Platte County, Nebraska; named for early resident Wood B. Duncan. countable, uncountable
  14. 19
    A locale in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Buckhorn Township, Harnett County, North Carolina. countable, uncountable
  15. 20
    A locale in the United States:; A city, the county seat of Stephens County, Oklahoma; named for early settler William Duncan. countable, uncountable
  16. 21
    A locale in the United States:; A township in Tioga County, Pennsylvania. countable, uncountable
  17. 22
    A locale in the United States:; A town in Spartanburg County, South Carolina; named for landowner Leroy Duncan. countable, uncountable
  18. 23
    A river in British Columbia, Canada; running 206 km near Mount Dawson into the Kootenay Lake; named for prospector John Duncan. countable, uncountable
  19. 24
    A short river in the Southern Alps, West Coast Region, New Zealand. countable, uncountable

Example

More examples

"Isadora Duncan danced with such grace that she was invited to dance in Europe."

Etymology

* 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”).

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.