The baby name Douglas is really rather dashing, and completely unexpected.
Thanks to Bridy for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME DOUGLAS MEAN?
The baby name Douglas begins on the map.
It’s originally the name of a river derived from the Gaelic dubh – dark and glas – stream. So Douglas means “dark stream.”
The river gave its name to a nearby village, and the village shared its name with a castle. The castle was the stronghold of the Earls of Douglas, once Scotland’s most powerful family, the heads of Clan Douglas.
We do love to borrow an aristocratic surname name.
SCOTTISH HERITAGE CHOICE
Clan Douglas is wrapped up in Scottish history and lore.
Legend has it that the family was founded by an eighth century knight named Sholto Douglas, the hero of a decisive battle.
Family members have used the name since.
The first Douglas on record as a landholder appears in the twelfth century. Early leaders fought against England for Scottish independence, rising to prominence over the years.
Sir James Douglas – also known as the Black Douglas – was the very first noble to join William Wallace’s cause.
Eventually, the family split into two lines – Black Douglases and Red Douglases.
By the 1400s, they were such a big deal that it became rather hazardous to be the top of the family – if you didn’t die in battle, there was a decent chance others would conspire to send you to your death.
The Black Douglas line lost their titles during the fifteenth century; a member of the Red line earned the title back in the 1600s.
As one of the most powerful families in the Kingdom of Scotland, they once had significant land holdings, including Lanarkshire’s Douglas Castle. Only the ruins stand today.
FAMOUS FIGURES
The surname Douglas became a masculine personal name, just like so many aristocratic choices.
As a Scottish surname, it could’ve been used by anyone who lived a dark stream with the name or one of the family’s holdings.
It’s been used as a given name since the 16th century. And here’s a twist – Douglas and Douglass were initially unisex, used for girls and well as boys.
The first female Douglas appears in the history books in the 1540s. English noblewoman Douglas Howard was likely named after her godmother, Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox and a member of the powerful Scottish family.
It is impossible to list all of the notable bearers of the name, but a few highlights include:
- Explorer Douglas Mawson reached the South Pole in the Antarctic in 1909.
- Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, the 14th Duke of Hamilton. The well-born double Douglas distinguished himself as a member of the Royal Air Force, taking part in the first flight over Mount Everest and organizing the air defenses of Scotland during World War II.
- Actor Douglas Fairbanks played Zorro and Robin Hood, and with wife Mary Pickford, was part of the original Hollywood super couple. (The name of their legendary Hollywood estate, Pickfair, presages smooshes like Brangelina by nearly a century.) Fairbanks also co-founded United Artists and the Motion Picture Academy. He and wife Mary were the first pair to ever put their handprints in cement at Grauman’s Chinese Theater.
- Also in the Hollywood tradition: Kirk Douglas and Michael Douglas, father and son, both highly successful actors.
- General Douglas MacArthur remains one of the most decorated military leaders in US history.
- Formal NFL quarterback Doug Flutie is one of many athletes by the name.
- Writers like Douglas Adams and Douglas Coupland take the name in a creative direction.
- Hip hop pioneer Doug E. Fresh earned the nickname “the Human Beatbox.”
- Speaking of music, the 2010 hit “Teach Me How to Dougie” is, in fact, named after a guy called Dougie.
DOUGLAS IN FLIGHT
Here’s something that transforms Douglas from an overlooked common name to one that soars.
In 1921, Donald Douglas Jr. founded the Douglas Aircraft Company. Four of their planes were the first aircraft to circumnavigate the world by air in 1924.
Chances are good that you’ve flown in a DC-9 or DC-10. The company merged with McDonnell Douglas and then Boeing, taking the name out of the skies, but a handful of DCs are still flying.
DOUGLAS IN THE FOREST
One more familiar reference: the Douglas fir. Popular as a Christmas tree, the evergreen takes its name from Scottish botanist David Douglas.
They’re native to the west of North America, including California, the Pacific Northwest, and the Rocky Mountains.
POP CULTURE
From an aviation pioneer to a hip hop legend, plenty of Douglases have put the name on the map.
Here are just a few more from recent decades:
- Hollywood A-lister George Clooney rose to prominence as Dr. DougRoss on long-running medical drama E.R.
- Speaking of medical shows on television, a young Neil Patrick Harris starred in Doogie Howser, M.D. The early 90s show featured Harris as a genius teeanger who overcame leukemia and graduated from medical school before he could drive. The character’s full name was Douglas.
- Actor Dougray Scott answers to a rare Doug name. While Scott is, indeed, Scottish, it’s possible that Dougray started out as a French surname.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME DOUGLAS?
The baby name Douglas has never left the US Top 1000.
It reached peak popularity in 1942, almost certainly due to the fame of World War II commander Douglas MacArthur. That’s the same year he received the Medal of Honor.
The name ranked in the US Top 100 from 1929 through 1989.
As of 2023, the baby name Douglas ranks a relatively frosty #743.
Plenty of us have an Uncle Doug, but it’s seldom heard on a newborn.
ENDURING CLASSIC
The secret to reviving Douglas might be as simple as avoiding dated nickname Doug.
After all, boys today answer to Sebastian and Oliver without nickname. If William doesn’t have to be Billy, then Douglas can use his name in full, too.
Given our love of boys’ names ending with S, Douglas fits in nicely with Atticus and Miles.
If you’re after an underused, enduring classic, possibly one with a hint of Scottish heritage, the baby name Douglas might just be the perfect name.
What do you think of the baby name Douglas?
First published on July 23, 2011, this post was revised on March 25, 2025.
My dad’s middle name is Douglas, as was his fathers. If I did use it, I would relegate it to the middle as well. It is a nice name, but not one in my personal style. I would consider it because of it’s history of family use.
Douglas was the name of the black cat I had for 15 years…he was a wonderful cat. I always called him Douglas or Snuggless Douglas, but never Doug. Naturally I like the name.
That’s Douglas in my icon!
Like many of those in my generation, I grew up watching Doug Funnie every day on Nickelodeon, and while I absolutely loved the show, I could never bring myself to use the name of sweater-vested, perpetually befuddled Doug.
Douglas is my father-in-law’s name. I think because of that it feels pretty dated to me, although the association is a positive one 🙂
I like Douglas too, but wouldn’t use it as such. His nemesis I named Douglas, as mine is Karen.
Dougal, the Scots version seems less ” middle aged guy” to me, and would be what I might be able to slide past Him, if any.
But I like the solid darkness that is Douglas. Maybe I’ll spell it Douglass and use it on a girl (in the middle)!
Douglas tumbled out of favor here in the UK quite a bit before it did in the US, and it’s such a shame that some would dismiss Douglas (and many other names) just because he’s seen by some as ‘dated’. Personally, I don’t like talk of fashion and style when it comes to names — it reduces them to the level of consumer items. Names should always be judged on their own merits, particularly how these relate to what each individual is looking for in a name. And Douglas is a great name, with a lots going for it!
love your site! I’ll be visiting.
At first glance I didn’t really like it, since Doug feels pretty dated, but by the end of the post I was sold on Douglas! There is so much amazing history 🙂
I also think Douglas could fit in with other -s enders like Rufus even if he doesn’t feel as stylish. I personally wouldn’t ever use the name because I work on Douglas campus, but I think it’s a great name!
I too have liked Douglas since childhood, but I’m not sure why… maybe a children’s book? Maybe I just like the name because it feels cozy and friendly?
Another interesting namesake for the name is Stephen Douglas, who engaged in the Lincoln-Douglas debates over slavery with Abraham Lincoln. I did Debate in high school and college, so while I can’t say Stephen Douglas would be a hero of mine… it does add some bookish charm to the name.
I think Douglas is very usable. It’s a strong, classic Scottish male name and as noted above, fits in with other classic names used without nicknames, eg., David, Daniel, Douglas. “Baby Name Wizard” calls Douglas “a classic surname borne by one of the great families of Scotland” and concludes that “Douglas is still handsome but now more respectable than adventurous.” I think Douglas is a fine-sounding name, and especially if Douglas were a family name, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.
I’ve liked this name ever since I was a little girl. Perhaps because Doug was one of my favorite cartoons? I prefer the full name Douglas to the nickname Doug, though Dougie is sort of cute. This is one that I’d never use myself, but appreciate on others.