Details for the forename Duncan

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Duncan (male)


Variants:	Donagh (M) Donnchadh (M) Donogh (M) Donough (M) Dunchadh (M)
Diminutive(s):	Dunc (M)
Pet Name(s):	Dunc (M) Duncs (M) Dunkie (M) Dunky (M)
Lesser Synonym(s):	Denis (M) Dougal (M) Dugald (M)
Can be spelt:	Dungen (M)
Feminine form:	Duncanina (F) Dunkina (F)

Source(s):	The Oxford Names Companion, OUP "Scottish Forenames" - Donald Whyte, FGH, FSG Private communication [DT]
Notes:	Scottish and English, Anglicized form of the Gaelic name Donnchadh, "brown warrior". The surname Duncan is a derivative. An Australian correspondent [DT] has found the spelling Dungen in some immigration records. While we do not consider this to be a "valid" spelling variation, it should be noted that it would not be selected by normal Soundex searching. A correspondent in Argyllshire, Scotland, sent us this message: "My family used Duncan and Dougall/Dugald quite frequently for several centuries and I twice ran across places where it was obvious that the clerk had made a slip and used one for the other, so they did get confused, if rarely." While this connection may be idiosyncratic, because of the possibility of confusion elsewhere we have classified Duncan as a lesser synonym of Dougal and Dugald. Donnchadh, the Gaelic form of Duncan, may be Anglicized as Denis and for this reason we also class Denis and Duncan as lesser synonyms.