Douglas

In This Article

Origin, Meaning, And History Of Douglas

The name Douglas was originally a Scottish surname that was derived from a place in Lanarkshire. It later became a masculine personal name. Douglas was derived from the Gaelic words ‘Dubh ghlais,’ where ‘dubh’ stands for dark, and ‘ghlais’ means water or river. In archaic terms, the word ‘glas’ also means ‘gray’ or ‘green.’ The two words can be jointly interpreted as ‘dark river’ or ‘dark water.’

This surname Douglas was once held by the most powerful families in the Kingdom of Scotland, such as the Earls of Douglas, Angus, Morton, and Dukes of Hamilton. Some claim that the surname was inherited from a knight of 770, who was granted the lands of Clydesdale after assisting King Solvathius in his battle with Donald Bain. While some say that it was derived from Theobaldus, a Flemming who was granted lands of Douglas water.

Douglas fir is a tree which was given the name in the honor of David Douglas, a Scottish botanist who discovered it in 1825.

The name has many forms across the European continent. Some of these are Dùghlas in Scottish Gaelic, and Dúghlas and Dubhghlas are the Irish language forms. In southern Argyllshire, the last name Douglas is an anglicized form of the surname MacLucas and MacLugash. The Hawaiian language form of the given name is Koukalaka, a variant of Dougalasa.

Douglas has a large number of spelling variations that include Douglass, Dougliss, Dougless, Dowglas, Duglas, and Duglass. Also, doug is a common short name of Douglas. The name also has adorable nicknames like Dougie or Duggie.

Douglas has been used in the fictional world as seen in the American animated series and sitcom “Doug.”Douglas Yancey “Doug” Funnieis portrayed as an average, self-conscious, innocent, and sometimes sensitive 11-year-old boy. He is creative, imaginative, morally strong, and a talented writer.

Dr. Douglas “Doug” Ross, a pediatrician, is another fictional character with the name. It was played by George Clooney in the NBC medical drama series “ER.” Arnold Schwarzenegger portrayedDouglas “Doug” Quaidin the 1990 sci-fi action-adventure film “Total Recall.”

Douglas

heart image
The origin of dark water
Boy
Christianity
Scottish
d..di..dio..Dio..Dou..Dug..

How To Pronounce Douglas?

Pronounced asdoug-las
English

Famous People With The Name Douglas

  • Douglas Allen AndersonAmerican writer and editor, expert in textual analysis of J. R. R. Tolkien’s works and winner of Mythopoeic Award for scholarship
  • Douglas AdamsEnglish author and screenwriter, best known for “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy”
  • Douglas R. BeldenAmerican player of Canadian football, played as a quarterback and was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a “Gator Great”
  • Douglas BrinkleyAmerican author, professor of history at Rice University and history commentator for CNN
  • Douglas Carl EngelbartAmerican engineer, inventor, early computer and internet pioneer whose works led to the creation of the computer mouse and hypertext
  • Douglas Lawrence OsowskiAmerican animator, storyboard artist, voice actor, writer, director, and comedian, best known for the voice of Plankton on “SpongeBob SquarePants”
  • Douglas MacArthurAmerican military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, received the Medal of Honor for his service in the Philippines campaign
  • Douglas Richard HofstadterAmerican scholar of cognitive science, physics, and comparative literature, his book won a Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction

Douglas On The Popularity Chart

The graphs from the Social Security Administration have shown that the name has been seeing a decline in both population and rank. Read the graphs below to have a better insight into the numbers.

Popularity Over Time

The name Douglas saw a steady descent in usage from the 1980s. In 2021, 344 babies per million in 2021 were given the name.

Source:Social Security Administration

Rank Over Time

From the graph, we can see that the name was doing better in rank in the 1980s and 1990s. Its lowest-ever rank of 20,967 came in 2007.

Source:Social Security Administration

Names With Similar Sound As Douglas

There are many names that share phonetic resemblance to Douglas. Check them out in the list below.

Popular Sibling Names For Douglas

Other Popular Names Beginning With D

Names With Similar Meaning As Douglas

Do you love the meaning for Douglas and are searching for a similar name? Here are a few options.

Infographic: Know The Name’s Personality As Per Numerology

name-numerology-for-douglas-boy

Illustration: Momjunction Design Team

Get high-quality PDF version by clicking below.

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Download Infographic in PDF version

How To Communicate The Name In Other Languages

In Nautical Flags

douglas

In Sign Language

douglas

In Braille Alphabet

douglas

In Morse Code

douglas

Name Numerology For Douglas

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the meaning of the name Douglas?

The name Douglas means the origin of dark water.

2. What is the origin of the name Douglas?

Douglas has a Scottish origin.

3. How to pronounce the name Douglas?

Douglas is pronounced as doug-las.

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