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(Dunchad) Duncan, originally a
forename, is without doubt one of the earliest
names in Scotland – surnames being
introduced by the Normans around 1120 AD –
and originates from the Dalriadan Celtic Scotii
(Scots) from Ireland who colonised the south
west of Scotland from about the 4th c
AD.
Records from this time are scant
and it is not until after the unification of the
Celtic Scots of Dalriada and the aboriginal
Picts of northern Britain by Kenneth MacAlpine
843AD do we start to see the name significantly
being used in other parts of Scotland. One of
the earliest accounts is that of the Scots
Gaelic writings of the 11th c.
in the ‘Book of Deer’, the oldest Scots Gaelic
writings known in Scotland today, written by the
early Christian Monks of the Abbey of Deer in
Aberdeenshire.
The first mentions of Dunchad,
Donnachadh (Duncan) as a Clan was from the early
part of the 14th c and the
Wars of Independence which ended with Robert the
Bruce’s victory over the English at Bannockburn.
As research continues and further
details become available on Clan Duncan and the
origins of the Duncan name we will expand these pages
further. If you have any information or research
you feel could benefit the Clan and expand our
knowledge please contact the Society.
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