Duncan Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Duncan Family History

Duncan Family History

The family history of the ancient name Duncan was found in the irishsurnames.com archives. The Scottish Clan of Duncan is descended from the Earls of Atholl who took their name from the Chief Donnachadh Reamhar who led the Clan at the battle of Bannockburn. They possessed lands in Forfarshire. Sir William Duncan was created a Baronet by George III in 1764. Adam, son of Alexander, Duncan of Lundie, became commander of the fleet in the north sea and 'Admiral of the Blue'. In Ireland the name Duncan is sometimes used as a synonym of the name Donegan which is derived from the native Gaelic O'Donnagain septs that were located in Counties Cork, Tipperary and Monaghan.

A sept or clan is a collective term describing a group of persons whose immediate ancestors bore a common surname and inhabited the same territory. It is also the case that many Irish septs or clans that are related often belong to a larger groups, sometimes called tribes. For example the 'Tribes of Galway' consisted of fourteen distinct families. The 'Tribes of Kilkenny' were ten families, etc.

Dongan, Dunnigan and Dinkin are other variants of this well-known name.The Duncan family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Duncan descendants.