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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. |
