Douglas (given name)

Douglas is a Scottish masculine given name which originated from the surname Douglas. Although today the name is almost exclusively given to boys, it was used as a girl's name in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in the north of England.[1] The Scottish surname Douglas was borne by one of the most powerful families of the Kingdom of Scotland (the Earls of Douglas, Angus, Morton, Dukes of Hamilton and others). It has sometimes been stated that the given name is connected with the given name Dougal, although it is more likely derived from the surname already mentioned.[2]

Linguistically, Douglas is derived from the Gaelic elements: dubh, meaning "dark, black"; and glas, meaning "stream" (also a derivative of glas, meaning "green").[3] The surname Douglas is a habitational name, which could be derived from any of the many places so-named. While there are numerous places with this name in both Ireland and Scotland, it is thought, in most cases, to refer to Douglas, South Lanarkshire, which was once the stronghold of Clan Douglas.[4]

The Scottish Gaelic form of the given name is Dùghlas [ˈt̪uːl̪ˠəs̪];[5] the Irish language forms are Dúghlas[6] and Dubhghlas, which are pronounced [ˈd̪ˠuːɣlˠəsˠ].[7] The Hawaiian language form of the given name is Koukalaka, which is pronounced [kowkəˈlɐkə]; a variant form of this name is Dougalasa.[8][9] The given name Doug is a common short form variant of Douglas. Pet forms of the given name include Dougie[2] and Duggie. In Scotland, while spelled Dougie like the above, there is a distinct Scottish pronunciation of "Doogie".[10]