Duane (given name)



Duane is both a given name for a male, and a family name. It seems to have a convergent etymology from several sources. The name comes from St. Dubhán, a Welsh monk who established an abbey in Hook Head, Ireland, during the 5th century. As a surname it is O'Dubhain, or Dubhan. Dubhain was a popular given name in 16th century southern Ireland; its anglicized form is Duane. In Gaelic "dubh" means "little dark one".



Many people may claim that one of the name's origins is the Norman "D'Wain" ("of Wagons") or the Old English version meaning "field" or "meadow".  However, Duane is an anglicized version of the Gaelic "Dubhan", meaning little and dark as "Dubh" means dark and "an" is a diminutive suffix.[1]



In the United States, "Duane" became a very popular name around the 1920s and remained one of the 200 most popular names for about 50 years.[2]  The spelling "Dwayne" was adapted as time went on, most likely because of the also popular name "Wayne".  "Dwayne" eventually became the preferred spelling, especially in the southern U.S.  "Duane" still remains a more popular spelling in northern-Midwest states such as Minnesota, Michigan, and North Dakota.



First name




Middle name




See also




 References 





  1. ↑  http://www.behindthename.com/name/duane
  2. ↑  http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Duane




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