Dougal
Boy name · 120 babies recorded · 1974–2025
Dougal: 120 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to boys, peaking at 6 births in 1976.
The Gaelic name Dougal, from *Dubhghall*, means "dark stranger"—a reference to the dark-haired Norse-Gaelic settlers of Scotland and Ireland. Its most famous bearer is Dougal Haston, the Scottish mountaineer who conquered the south-west face of Everest in 1975 with a legendary British expedition. Placewise, the name lives on in the village of Dougal’s Glen in Argyll, though its root also appears in the surname MacDougall, tied to the ancient Lords of Lorne. A charming variant is the Irish equivalent, Dúghall, but in Scotland, Dougal has a distinctly kilted, adventurous air—partly thanks to the beloved, bumbling character Dougal from the children's TV show *The Magic Roundabout*, which endears it to parents seeking a name with rugged roots and a soft spot.
Boy 29 of 52 years
- Peak year
- 19766 babies
- Latest (2024)
- #6194 babies
- Total births
- 120since 1975
- 5-year trend
- ≈ stablevs prior 5y