Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Duncan?
Births per year, rank history and how many Duncans are alive today.
Duncan (male), once a common boys' name, is now rarely given to new babies in England and Wales: just 17 in 2025, ranked 1538th. The name peaked in 1974, when around 1,100 babies were given the name, the 66th most popular that year. It has declined since 1974; the 2025 figure is roughly 2% of its peak. At least 26,000 babies have been named Duncan in England and Wales since 1964. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
The Duncan you are most likely to meet is around 53 years old. Half of all Duncans born in England and Wales are between 45 and 61, and there are at least 31,000 of them alive today. If you walk into a room of 100 males, there's roughly a 9.7% chance that at least one of them will be called Duncan.
How many babies are named Duncan each year?
Where does Duncan rank among boys' names?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
When was the name Duncan most popular?
Duncan peaked in 1974, when around 1,100 babies in England and Wales were given the name.
How many people are called Duncan?
At least 31,000 people named Duncan born in England and Wales are alive today.
How old is the typical Duncan?
Most living Duncans are between 45 and 61; the most common age is about 53.
Is Duncan becoming more or less popular?
Rising: numbers have been climbing in recent years.