given name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...
which originated from the surname ''
Douglas
Douglas may refer to:
People
* Douglas (given name)
* Douglas (surname)
Animals
* Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking
* Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil ...
''. 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. The
Scottish surname
Scottish surnames are surnames currently found in Scotland, or surnames that have a historical connection with the country.
History
The earliest surnames found in Scotland occur during the reign of David I of Scotland, David I, King of Scots (11 ...
''Douglas'' was borne by one of the most powerful families of the
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a sovereign state in northwest Europe, traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a Anglo-Sc ...
(the
Earls of Douglas
This page is concerned with the holders of the forfeit title Earl of Douglas and the preceding Scottish feudal barony, feudal barons of Douglas, South Lanarkshire. The title was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1358 for William Douglas, 1 ...
,
Angus
Angus may refer to:
*Angus, Scotland, a council area of Scotland, and formerly a province, sheriffdom, county and district of Scotland
* Angus, Canada, a community in Essa, Ontario
Animals
* Angus cattle, various breeds of beef cattle
Media
* ...
Dukes of Hamilton
Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in April 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that peerage (except for the Dukedom of Rothesay held by the sovereign's eldest son), and as such its holder is the premier peer of Sco ...
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
In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...
already mentioned.
Linguistically, ''Douglas'' is derived from the
Gaelic
Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to:
Languages
* Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...
elements: ''dubh'', meaning "dark, black"; and ''glas'', meaning "stream" (also a derivative of ''glas'', meaning "green"). 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
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
and Scotland, it is thought, in most cases, to refer to
Douglas, South Lanarkshire
Douglas () is a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located on the south bank of the Douglas Water and on the A70 road that links Ayr, on the West coast of Scotland, to Edinburgh on the East, around 12 miles south west of Lanark. The ...
, which was once the stronghold of Clan Douglas. which cited for the surname "Douglas".
The
Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...
form of the given name is ; the
Irish language
Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...
forms are and ''Dubhghlas'', which are pronounced . The
Hawaiian language
Hawaiian (', ) is a critically endangered Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family, originating in and native to the Hawaiian Islands. It is the native language of the Hawaiian people. Hawaiian, along with English, is an offi ...
form of the given name is , which is pronounced ; a variant form of this name is ''Dougalasa''. The given name '' Doug'' is a common short form variant of ''Douglas''. Pet forms of the given name include '' Dougie'' which cited for the given name "Douglas". and ''Duggie''. In Scotland, while spelled ''Dougie'' like the above, there is a distinct Scottish pronunciation of "Doogie".
Douglas (footballer, born 1987)
Dyanfres Douglas Chagas Matos (born December 30, 1987), or simply Douglas, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a striker. He spent the majority of his playing career in Japan, playing at six different clubs.
Career
Dougl ...
(Dyanfres Douglas Chagas Matos), Brazilian footballer
* Douglas (footballer, born 1988) (Douglas Franco Teixeira), Brazilian-Dutch footballer
*
Douglas (footballer, born April 1990)
Douglas Silva Bacelar (born 4 April 1990), simply known as Douglas, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Guarani.
Career Juventude
Douglas made his league debut against Sapucaiense on 20 January 2009. H ...
(Douglas Silva Bacelar), Brazilian footballer
*
Douglas (footballer, born August 1990)
Douglas Pereira dos Santos (born 6 August 1990), simply known as Douglas (), is a Brazilian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Full-back, right-back.
Club career Goiás
Born in ...
(Douglas Pereira dos Santos), Brazilian footballer
* Douglas (footballer, born 1995) (Douglas Matheus do Nascimento), Brazilian footballer
Given name
*
Douglas Abbott
Douglas Charles Abbott (May 29, 1899 – March 15, 1987) was a Canadian Member of Parliament, federal Cabinet Minister, and justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Abbott's appointment directly from the Cabinet of Canada as Finance Minister to ...
Douglas Alexander
Douglas Garven Alexander (born 26 October 1967) is a British politician who has served as Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security since 2024, having previously held the role from 2004 to 2005. He has also served as Minister o ...
Douglas A. Anderson
Douglas Allen Anderson (born December 30, 1959) is an American writer and editor on the subjects of fantasy and medieval literature, specializing in textual analysis of the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. His 1988 edition of Tolkien's children's book ...
(born 1959), American author
*
Douglas Applegate
Douglas Earl Applegate (March 27, 1928 – August 7, 2021) was an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from Ohio's 18th congressional district from 1977 to 1995, as a member of the Democratic Party (Unite ...
(1928–2021), American politician
* Douglas Assis (born 1985), Brazilian footballer
*
Douglas Bader
Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader, (; 21 February 1910 – 5 September 1982) was a Royal Air Force flying ace during the Second World War. He was credited with 22 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared ...
Douglas Barr
Douglas Barr (born May 1, 1949), also credited as Doug Barr, is an American actor, writer, and director. He has starred in movies and on television.
Barr was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His big role came in the ABC TV series ''The Fall Guy'' ...
, American actor
* Doug Belden, American football player
*
Douglas Booth
Douglas John Booth (born 9 July 1992) is an English actor and musician. He first came to public attention through his performance as Boy George in the BBC Two film ''Worried About the Boy'' (2010). He went on to star in the BBC adaptations of ...
, British actor
*
Douglas Brinkley
Douglas Brinkley (born December 14, 1960) is an American author, Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities, and professor of history at Rice University. Brinkley is a history commentator for CNN, Presidential Historian for the New York Historica ...
Douglas Carswell
John Douglas Wilson Carswell (born 3 May 1971) is a British former politician who served as a Member of Parliament from 2005 to 2017, co-founded Vote Leave, and since 2021 also serves as president and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public ...
, British politician, first elected MP for the UK Independence Party
*
Douglas Chamberlain
Douglas Anthony Chamberlain, (4 April 1931 – 22 May 2025) was a British cardiologist who founded the first paramedic unit in Europe, revolutionising pre-hospital clinical care.
Early life
Chamberlain was born in Cardiff in 1931. His father w ...
(1931–2025), British cardiologist
* Douglas Chandor (1897–1953), British-born portrait painter and garden designer
* Douglas A. Collins (born 1966), United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs
* Douglas Costa, Brazilian footballer
*
Douglas Coupland
Douglas Coupland (born 30 December 1961) is a Canadian novelist, designer and visual artist. His first novel, the 1991 international bestseller '' Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture'', popularized the terms Generation X and McJob. He ...
Douglas DeMuro
Douglas DeMuro (born May 22, 1988) is an American YouTuber, author, columnist, writer, and Internet entrepreneur. DeMuro's focus is on the automotive industry; his car review-focused YouTube channel has 4.98 million subscribers as of June 2025.
...
, American automotive journalist
*
Douglas Devananda
Kathiravelu Nythiananda Devananda, commonly known as Douglas Devananda (), is a Sri Lankan Tamil politician, Cabinet Minister and leader of the Eelam People's Democratic Party. Originally a Sri Lanka Tamil militant who fought against the Sri L ...
(born 1957), Sri Lankan Tamil Cabinet minister, originally a militant of the separatist Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front
* Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 8th Duke of Hamilton, 18th-century Scottish peer
*
Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton
Air Commodore Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton and 11th Duke of Brandon, (3 February 1903 – 30 March 1973) was a Scottish aristocrat, politician, and aviator. He was the first man to fly over Mount Everest.
When Rudolf Hess, t ...
, pioneering aviator
* Douglas Eggers, American football player
*
Doug Emhoff
Douglas Craig Emhoff (born October 13, 1964) is an American lawyer who served as the Second ladies and gentlemen of the United States, second gentleman of the United States from 2021 to 2025. Married to the 49th vice president of the United St ...
(born 1964), American lawyer and husband of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris
*
Douglas Engelbart
Douglas Carl Engelbart (January 30, 1925 – July 2, 2013) was an American engineer, inventor, and a pioneer in many aspects of computer science. He is best known for his work on founding the field of human–computer interaction, particularly ...
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor and filmmaker best known for being the first actor to play the masked Vigilante Zorro and other swashbuckler film, swashbu ...
, American actor
*
Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr. (December 9, 1909 – May 7, 2000) was an American actor, producer, and decorated naval officer of World War II. He is best-known for starring in such films as '' The Prisoner of Zenda'' (1937), '' Gunga Din'' (1939), ...
, American actor and son of Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford
*
Douglas Ford (disambiguation) Doug Ford
Douglas Robert Ford Jr. (born November 20, 1964) is a Canadian politician and businessman who has served as the 26th and current premier of Ontario and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party since 2018. He represents the To ...
, several people
* Douglas Frenkel, American professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School
* Douglas Gautier, Australian arts administrator, CEO and AD of the
Adelaide Festival Centre
Adelaide Festival Centre, Australia's first capital city multi-purpose arts centre and the home of South Australia's performing arts, was built in the early 1970s and designed by Hassell (architecture firm), Hassell Architects. The Festival The ...
2006–2025
*
Douglas H. Ginsburg
Douglas Howard Ginsburg (born May 25, 1946) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a senior United States federal judge, United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, U.S. Court of App ...
Douglas Gresham
Douglas Howard Gresham (born November 10, 1945) is an American British stage and voice-over actor, biographer, film producer, and executive record producer. He is one of the two stepsons of C. S. Lewis.
Early life
Gresham was born in Ne ...
, American-British actor, biographer and producer
*
Doug Grimston
Douglas George Grimston (May 18, 1900September 14, 1955) was a Canadian ice hockey administrator who served as president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) from 1950 to 1952. He oversaw the establishment of the Major Series for t ...
, Canadian ice hockey administrator
*
Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig
Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig (; 19 June 1861 – 29 January 1928) was a senior officer of the British Army. During the First World War he commanded the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front from late 1915 until t ...
Douglas Hartree
Douglas Rayner Hartree (27 March 1897 – 12 February 1958) was an English mathematician and physicist most famous for the development of numerical analysis and its application to the Hartree–Fock equations of atomic physics and the c ...
, English mathematician and physicist
* Douglas A. Hicks, American author
*
Douglas Hodge
Douglas William Hodge (born 25 February 1960) is an English actor, director and musician. He has had an extensive career in theatre, as well as film and television where he has appeared in ''Robin Hood'' (2010), '' Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Retu ...
(born 1960), English actor, director and musician
* Douglas Hodge (businessman) (born 1957), American businessman
*
Douglas Hofstadter
Douglas Richard Hofstadter (born 15 February 1945) is an American cognitive and computer scientist whose research includes concepts such as the sense of self in relation to the external world, consciousness, analogy-making, Strange loop, strange ...
, American author and professor of cognitive science
* Douglas Horne (born 1966), Canadian politician
*
Douglas Hyde
Douglas Ross Hyde (; 17 January 1860 – 12 July 1949), known as (), was an Irish academic, linguist, scholar of the Irish language, politician, and diplomat who served as the first president of Ireland from June 1938 to June 1945. He was a l ...
, Irish academic and politician, first president of Ireland
* Douglas Hyde (author), English political journalist and author
*
Doug Ingle
Douglas Lloyd Ingle (September 9, 1945 – May 24, 2024) was an American musician, best known as the founder, organist, primary composer and lead vocalist for the band Iron Butterfly. He wrote the band's hit song " In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", which was ...
(1945-2024), American singer, organist, and founding member of
Iron Butterfly
Iron Butterfly was an American rock band formed in San Diego, California, in 1966. They are best known for the 1968 hit " In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", providing a dramatic sound that led the way towards the development of hard rock and heavy metal m ...
*
Douglas Jardine
Douglas Robert Jardine ( 1900 – 1958) was a Scottish cricketer who played 22 Test matches for England, captaining the side in 15 of those matches between 1931 and 1934. A right-handed batsman, he is best known for captaining the English ...
(1900-1958), England Cricket Captain, progenitor of
Bodyline
Bodyline, also known as fast leg theory bowling, was a cricketing tactic devised by the English cricket team for their English cricket team in Australia in 1932–33, 1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia. It was designed to combat the extraordinar ...
Doug Jones (disambiguation) Doug Jones may refer to:
Sports
* Doug Jones (American football) (born 1950)
* Doug Jones (baseball) (1957–2021), American
* Doug Jones (boxer) (1937–2017), American
* Doug Jones (curler), American
Others
* Doug Jones (actor) (born 1960), Amer ...
, several people
*
Douglas Harriman Kennedy
Douglas Harriman Kennedy (born March 24, 1967) is an American journalist. He is the tenth child of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, named in honor of W. Averell Harriman, a family friend and former governor of New York.
Life and career
Ke ...
Douglas Júnior
Douglas Júnior da Silva Negreiros (born 15 October 1988), simply known as Douglas Júnior, is a Brazilian born Kazakhstani futsal player who plays for MFK KPRF and the Kazakhstan national futsal team as a forward.
Honours
*UEFA Futsal Champion ...
, Kazakhstani futsal player
* Douglas Forsythe Kelley (1928–2021), American industrial designer
*
Douglas Lawrence
Raymond Douglas Lawrence (born 1943) is an Australian organist who is director of music at the Scots' Church, Melbourne and Teacher of the Organ at the University of Melbourne.
In 1969 Lawrence completed his master's degree in music at the Uni ...
, Australian organist
*
Doug Lawrence (disambiguation) Doug Lawrence or Douglas Lawrence, may refer to:
* Mr. Lawrence (born 1969; Douglas Lawrence Osowski), American voice actor and writer
* Doug Lawrence (jazz musician) (born 1956), American saxophonist
* Douglas Lawrence (born 1943; Raymond Douglas ...
, several people
* Douglas Liyanage, Sri Lankan Sinhala civil servant
*
Douglas Lowe (athlete)
Douglas Gordon Arthur Lowe (7 August 1902 – 30 March 1981) was a British double Olympic Games champion, winning gold medals in 1924 and 1928. On both occasions he set British 800-metres records of Athletics at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men ...
, British athlete
*
Douglas Lowe (RAF officer)
Air Chief Marshal Sir Douglas Charles Lowe, (14 March 1922 – 24 January 2018) was a Second World War pilot and a senior commander in the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the 1970s and early 1980s.
Family
Douglas Charles Lowe was born on 14 March ...
(1922–2018), British air chief marshal
* Douglas Lubahn (1947–2019), American bassist
*
Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American general who served as a top commander during World War II and the Korean War, achieving the rank of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army. He served with dis ...
Doug Martsch
Doug Martsch (born September 16, 1969) is an American singer and musician, best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the indie rock band Built to Spill.
Career
Martsch's first band was Farm Days, with Andy Capps and Brett Nelson in the ea ...
, American guitarist and vocalist of indie rock band
Built to Spill
Built to Spill is an American indie rock band that formed in Boise, Idaho, in 1992. Centered on lead vocalist and guitarist Doug Martsch, the only permanent member, Built to Spill has released nine albums since its inception.
Martsch originall ...
*
Douglas Francis McArthur
Douglas Francis "Doug" McArthur (born June 21, 1943) is an educator and former political figure in Saskatchewan, Canada. He represented Regina Lakeview from 1978 to 1982 in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan as a New Democratic Party (ND ...
Douglas Albert Munro
Douglas Albert Munro (October 11, 1919 – September 27, 1942) was a United States Coast Guard, United States coast guardsman who was posthumously decorated with the Medal of Honor for an act of "extraordinary heroism" during World War II. He i ...
, American armed forces member
* Doug Nordquist, American high jumper
*
Douglas Parker
Douglas M. Parker (born May 25 1963) is a playwright known for biographical and reality-based plays. His works include ''BESSIE: The Life and Music of Bessie Smith'' (2005); ''Life on the Mississippi'' (2006); ''Declarations'' (2007); ''Life on ...
(born 1963), American dramatist and playwright
*
Douglas H. Parker
Douglas Hugh Parker (August 19, 1926 – September 22, 2019) was an American law school professor. He began his law teaching career as a Harry A. Bigelow Teaching Fellow (1952–53) at the University of Chicago Law School and later taught as a ...
(1926–2019), American law school professor
* Douglas L. Parker, American attorney and government official
* Douglas Parkhill, Canadian computer scientist and civil servant
*
Doug Pederson
Douglas Irvin Pederson (born January 31, 1968) is an American professional football coach and former quarterback who was the head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He spent most o ...
, American football coach
*
Douglas Peterson (disambiguation) Douglas or Doug Peterson may refer to:
* Douglas L. Peterson, American businessman
* Doug Peterson (yacht designer) (1945–2017), American yacht designer
* D. J. Peterson (baseball) (Douglas Anthony Peterson, born 1991), American baseball player ...
, several people
* Douglas Polk, American professional poker player
*
Douglas Ranasinghe
Morathennage Douglas Ranasinghe (born May 27, 1945, ), is an actor in Sri Lankan cinema, theater, and television. He acted in many supportive roles in movies including ''Akkara Paha'', ''Yuganthaya'', ''Viragaya'', ''Sri Siddhartha Gautama'' and ...
(born 1945), Sri Lankan Sinhala actor
*
Douglas Robb (disambiguation) Douglas Robb may refer to:
* Douglas J. Robb, physician in the U.S. Air Force
* Sir Douglas Robb (surgeon) (1899–1974), New Zealand heart surgeon
* Douglas Robb (schoolmaster)
Douglas Robert Kenneth Robb (born 3 September 1970) is an English s ...
, several people
*
Douglas Roberts (disambiguation) Douglas or Doug Roberts may also refer to:
People
* Doug Roberts (ice hockey) (born 1942), retired American ice hockey player
* Doug Roberts, Australian music producer, of '' Into the Blue (Monique Brumby album)'' and others
* Douglas B. Roberts ...
, several people
*
Dougal Robertson
Dougal Robertson (January 29, 1924–September 22, 1991) was a Scottish author and sailor who with his family survived being adrift at sea after their schooner was holed by a pod of orcas in 1972, one of the few documented orca attacks in the P ...
(1924–1991), Scottish author and sailor
*
Douglas Rodrigues (disambiguation) Douglas Rodrigues or Rodríguez may refer to:
* Douglas Rodrigues (footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer
* Douglas Rodríguez (boxer) (1950–2012), Cuban boxer
{{Hndis, Rodrigues, Douglas ...
, several people
*
Douglas A. Ross
Douglas A. Ross (born 1948) is a Canadian political scientist specializing in international relations, specifically Canadian foreign and defense policies, nuclear strategy, and arms control. He is currently Professor of Political Science at Simon ...
Douglas Sheffield
Douglas, Lady Sheffield ( Howard; 1542/1543 – 1608), was an English noblewoman, the lover of Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester and mother by him of explorer-cartographer Sir Robert Dudley, an illegitimate son.
Seventeen years after ...
Doug Stanhope
Doug Stanhope (born March 25, 1967) is an American stand-up comedian, author, actor, political activist and podcast host. His stand-up material consist of profane and confrontational observations of life.
Early life
Stanhope was born in Worcest ...
, American stand-up comedian and author
*
Douglas Trevor
Douglas Trevor (born 1969)About DouglasTrevor.com is an American author and academic. He received the , American author and academic
* Douglas Walatara (1920–2011), Sri Lankan educationist
*
Douglas H. Wheelock
Douglas Harry "Wheels" Wheelock (born May 5, 1960) is an American engineer and astronaut. He has flown in space twice, logging 178 days on the Space Shuttle, International Space Station, and Russian Soyuz. On July 12, 2011, Wheelock announced th ...
, American astronaut
*
Douglas Whyte
Douglas Whyte (born 15 Nov 1971 in Johannesburg, South Africa) is a former horse racing jockey and is now a horse trainer. He became Hong Kong champion jockey in the 2000-2001 season and won 13 consecutive titles, a record in flat racing. In 2 ...
(born 1971),former horse racing jockey and current horse trainer
* Douglas Wreden (born 1991), American YouTube personality who goes by the name DougDoug
See also
*
List of Irish-language given names
This list of Irish-language given names shows Irish language given names, their Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicisations and/or English language equivalents.
Not all Irish given names have English equivalents, though most names have an angl ...
*
List of Scottish Gaelic given names
A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...