Douglas, occasionally spelt Douglass, is a Scottish surname. It is thought to derive from the Scottish Gaelic dubh glas, meaning "black stream". There are numerous places in Scotland from which the surname is derived. The surname has developed into the given name Douglas. 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 Scotland, it is thought, in most cases, to refer to Douglas, South Lanarkshire, the location of Douglas Castle, the chief stronghold of the Lords of Douglas. The Scottish Gaelic form of the given name is Dùbhghlas [ˈt̪uːl̪ˠəs̪]; the Irish-language forms are Dúghlas and Dubhghlas, which are pronounced [ˈd̪ˠuːɣlˠəsˠ]. According to George Fraser Black, in southern Argyllshire the surname is an Anglicised form of the surnames MacLucas, MacLugash (which are derived from the Gaelic Mac Lùcais).
== Arts ==
=== Visual arts ===
Aaron Douglas (artist) (1900–1979), American artist
Andrew Douglas (born 1952), British photographer/director
Haldane Douglas (1892–1980), American art director
Jessie O. Douglas (1856-19??), British artist
John Douglas (English architect) (1830–1911), English architect
John Douglas (Scottish architect) (died 1778)
Malcolm Douglas (illustrator) (1954–2009), British illustrator
Mel Douglas (born 1978), Australian glass artist
Sholto Johnstone Douglas (1871–1958), Scottish artist known as Sholto Douglas or Robert Sholto Johnstone Douglas
Stan Douglas (born 1960), Canadian artist
Stuart Douglas (born 1962), British photographer/director
=== Literature ===
Lord Alfred Douglas (1870–1945), British poet
Alice May Douglas (1865–1943), American poet, author, editor
Amanda Minnie Douglas (1831–1916), American writer of children's stories
Carole Nelson Douglas (1944–2021), American writer
Colin Douglas (novelist) (born 1945), pseudonym of Colin Thomas Currie, Scottish novelist
David John Douglass, British political activist and writer
Ellen Douglas (1921–2012), born Josephine Ayres Haxton, American author
Gavin Douglas (1474–1522), Scottish poet and bishop
Geoffrey Douglas (born 1944), American author and journalist
Helen Douglas Irvine (1880–1947), Scottish novelist, historian and translator
Jack Douglas (writer) (1908–1989), American comedy writer
J. Yellowlees Douglas, American author of hypertext fiction
John Douglas (bishop of Salisbury) (1721–1807), Scottish man of letters and Anglican bishop
John E. Douglas (born 1945), American criminal profiler and writer
Keith Douglas (1920–1944), English poet of World War II
Lawrence Douglas (born 1959), American legal scholar and author
Marian Douglas (1842-1913), American poet and short story writer
Marjory Stoneman Douglas (1890–1998), American conservationist and writer
Max Douglas (born 1970), Canadian comic book creator
Michael Douglas (pen name Michael Crichton), American author
Myra Douglas (1844–?), American writer, poet
Norman Douglas (1868–1952), British writer
Orville Lloyd Douglas (born 1976), Canadian essayist, poet, and writer
Mark Douglas-Home (born 1951), Scottish editor-in-chief of The Herald in Glasgow, Scotland
William Douglas-Home (1912–1992), British playwright
=== Music ===
Alan Douglas (record producer), American record producer
Ashanti (entertainer) (Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas) (born 1980), American R&B singer
Barry Douglas (pianist) (born 1960), Northern Irish classical pianist and conductor
Carl Douglas (born 1942), Jamaican-born singer
Carol Douglas (born 1948), American singer
Charles Douglass (1910–2003), American sound engineer
Chip Douglas (Douglas Farthing Hatlelid, born 1942), American songwriter, musician, and record producer
Chris Douglas (musician) (born 1974), American musician
Clementine Douglas (born 1998), an American singer-songwriter
Craig Douglas (born 1941), English singer
Dave Douglas (drummer), American drummer
Dave Douglas (trumpeter) (born 1963), American jazz composer and trumpeter
Jahméne Douglas, English singer, contestant of The X Factor (UK), series 9
James Douglas (composer) (1932–2022), Scottish composer
Jenny Douglas (born 1991), Scottish singer and actress
Jerry Douglas (born 1955), American country music and bluegrass musician
Jimmy Douglass, American record producer
John Douglas, drummer for English band Anathema
Johnny Douglas (conductor) (1920–2003), English composer, musical director and conductor
K. C. Douglas (1913–1975), American blues musician
Roy Douglas (1907–2015), British composer, pianist and arranger
Steve Douglas (saxophonist) (1938–1993), American saxophonist, flautist and clarinetist
Tom Douglas (songwriter), American country music songwriter
Tony Douglas (singer) (1929–2013), American country music singer
=== Stage, screen, and radio ===
== Business ==
Donald Wills Douglas Sr. (1892–1981), American-born Scottish businessman, founder of Douglas Aircraft
Donald Wills Douglas Jr. (1917–2004), American businessman, son of Donald Wills Douglas Sr.
Gustaf Douglas (born 1938), Swedish businessman, vice chairman and largest single shareholder in security firm Securitas AB
James Douglas (businessman) (1867–1949), Canadian mining engineer and businessman
James Douglas Jr. (1868–1949), Canadian-born American businessman and mining executive in Canada, US and Mexico
Louis Douglas (1889–1939), American dancer, choreographer, and music businessman
Raymond E. Douglas (1948–2007), executive for The New York Times
Walter Donald Douglas (1861–1912), American businessman and Titanic casualty
== Law ==
Andrew Grant Douglas (1932–2021), Republican justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
Byrd Douglas (1894–1965), American college baseball and football coach as well as a judge
Charles Gywnne "Chuck" Douglas III (born 1942), trial lawyer and a former United States Representative
John Brown Douglas (c. 1855 – 1935), British professor of Roman law
Lori Douglas, Manitoba judge
Robert Dick Douglas (1875–1960), American lawyer and son of Robert M. Douglas
Robert M. Douglas (1849–1917), American judge, North Carolina Supreme Court justice
Samuel Douglas (1781–1833), Pennsylvania lawyer and state attorney general
Wallace B. Douglas (1852–1930), American judge, Minnesota Supreme Court justice and Minnesota Attorney General
William O. Douglas (1898–1980), American associate justice of the Supreme Court
== Military ==
Captain Andrew Snape Douglas (1761–1797), Scottish sea captain in the Royal Navy
Sir Archibald Lucius Douglas (1842–1913), Canadian officer of the British Navy
Lt. Col. Campbell Mellis Douglas (1840–1909), Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross
Rear-Admiral Sir Charles Douglas, 1st Baronet of Carr, officer in the Royal Navy
General Sir Charles W. H. Douglas (1850–1914), Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS)
Admiral George Henry Douglas (1821–1905), British naval officer
Henry Kyd Douglas (1838–1903), Confederate States Army officer
General Sir Howard Douglas (1776–1861), British general and colonial administrator
Admiral James Douglas, (abt 1755–1839), British naval officer
Sir James Douglas, Lord of Douglas (James 'the Good', 1286–1330), Scottish soldier and knight in the Scottish wars of independence
Sir James Douglas, 1st Baronet (1703–1787), Commodore for Newfoundland and Labrador
James H. Douglas Jr. (1899–1988), United States Secretary of the Air Force and United States Deputy Secretary of Defense
James Postell Douglas: Confederate Captain of the First Texas Artillery Battery, farmer, founder of the Tyler Tap Railroad, and president of the Texas and Gulf Short Line Railroad
Lord James Douglas (1617–1645), son of the 1st Marquess of Douglas
Sir John Douglas (died 1814), Royal Marine officer
General Sir John Douglas of Glenfinart (1817–1888), Commander of the troops in the North British District
Admiral John Erskine Douglas (c. 1758 – 1847), British naval officer
Admiral John Leigh Douglas (1741–1810), British naval officer
Major-General John Primrose Douglas (1908–1975), Honorary Surgeon to the Queen
Lieutenant-General Sir Kenneth MacKenzie Douglas, 1st Baronet of Glenbervie (1754–1833), born Kenneth MacKenzie
Matthew Douglas, 7th Laird of Mains (c. 1519 – after 1571), Scottish soldier
Lt. Col. Montagu William Douglas (1863–1957), British soldier and colonial administrator in India
Lt. General Sir Neil Douglas (1779/80–1853)
Vice-Admiral Sir Percy Douglas (1876–1939), British naval officer, Hydrographer of the Navy
Admiral Peter John Douglas (1787–1858), British naval officer
Admiral Robert Gordon Douglas (1829–1910), British Royal Navy officer, Admiral Superintendent of Malta Dockyard in 1887.
Field Marshal Robert Douglas (1727–1809), Scottish-born career soldier and field marshal of the Netherlands
Admiral Sholto Douglas, (1833–1913), British naval officer
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sholto Douglas, 1st Baron Douglas of Kirtleside (1893–1969), British air force officer
Brigadier General Sir Thomas Monteath Douglas (1788–1868), army officer in the East India Company
Major-General Sir William Douglas KCMG, CB, DSO (13 August 1858 – 1920)
Col. William Douglas of Balgillo (c. 1778–1818), British Army officer during the Napoleonic Wars
William Douglas of Fingland (1672 – c. 1760), Scottish soldier
Brigadier-General William Douglas of Kirkness (c. 1690 – 1747), Member of Parliament and soldier
Major General Sir William Douglas of Bonjedward and Timpendean (1770–1834), British Army officer
Lt. Col. Angus Falconer Douglas-Hamilton (1863–1915), Scottish soldier and posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross
Admiral Lord Charles Montagu Douglas Scott (1839–1911), Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth
Admiral The Honourable Sir Cyril Douglas-Pennant (1894–1961), Commander-in-Chief, The Nore
General Count Archibald Douglas-Stjernorp, Swedish military
Violet Douglas-Pennant (1865–1945), British philanthropist and commandant of the Women's Royal Air Force
== Nobility ==
== Politics ==
== Sport ==
== Science ==
=== Biology ===
Claude Gordon Douglas (1882–1963), British physiologist
David Douglas (1799–1834), Scottish botanist
Virginia Douglas (1927–2017), Canadian psychologist and emeritus professor at McGill University
=== Earth sciences ===
R. J. W. Douglas (1920–1979), Canadian geologist
=== Engineering ===
C. H. Douglas (1879–1952), Scottish engineer and pioneer of the social credit concept
Donald Wills Douglas Sr. (1892–1981), American aircraft industrialist
=== Mathematics ===
Jesse Douglas (1897–1965), American mathematician and professor of mathematics
Ronald G. Douglas (1938–2018), American mathematician
=== Physics ===
David Douglass, American physicist
James Douglas (physician) (1675–1742), Scottish physician and anatomist
Michael R. Douglas, American physicist at Rutgers University
=== Other scientists ===
A.S. Douglas (1921–2010), British professor of computer science
Joel S. Douglas (fl. 1977–present), American medical device inventor
John William Douglas (1814–1905), English entomologist
Mary Douglas (1921–2007), British anthropologist
Vibert Douglas aka A. Vibert Douglas (1894–1988), Canadian astronomer and the first Canadian woman to become an astrophysicist
Iain Douglas-Hamilton (born 1942), British zoologist known for his study of elephants
== Religion ==
== Other fields ==
Alexander Douglas-Douglas (1843–1914), Australian inspector of police and explorer
Alan Douglas (journalist) (born 1951), Scottish journalist and former broadcaster
Ben Elbert Douglas Sr. (1894–1981), American businessman who had an airport named for his wife, Charlotte
Betto Douglas (c. 1772 – ?), slave on the British Colony of St. Kitts
Catherine Douglas, later "Kate" Barlass, 15th-century lady-in-waiting to the Queen of Scotland
Charlie Douglas (Charles Edward Douglas), New Zealand explorer, surveyor, and Royal Geographical Society Gill Memorial Prize winner (1840–1916)
David Douglas (1823–1916), Scottish publisher
David C. Douglas (1898–1982), British historian
David Douglas, Lord Reston (1769–1819), Adam Smith's heir
Frank L. Douglas, Guyanese American medical doctor.
George Douglas of Longniddry (active 1580–1610), Scottish landowner and courtier
James Douglas (journalist) (1867–1940), British newspaper editor, author and critic
J. Archibald Douglas (born 1866), first professor of English and history at Government College, Agra
James Sandilands Douglas (1872–1957), Mayor of Dunedin
James W. B. Douglas (1914–1992), British social researcher
Jane Douglas (c. 1700 – 1762), London brothel keeper
Janet Douglas, 17th-century Scottish woman who claimed to have second sight
Jennifer Douglas (born 1964), American writer/producer and activist.
John E. Douglas (born 1945), FBI agent and criminal profiler
Josepha Williams Douglas (1860–1938), also known as Josepha Williams, American physician
Kenneth George (Ken) Douglas (1934–2022), New Zealand trade union leader
Linda Douglass, former director of communications for the White House Office of Health Reform
Malcolm Douglas, 8th Laird of Mains
Margaret Elizabeth Douglas (1934–2008), English television producer and executive
Mark Douglas, professor of Christian ethics at Columbia Theological Seminary
Michael Dutton Douglas (1945–1963), American road accident victim
Robert Douglas, Provost of Lincluden, landowner, courtier, and administrator
Sir Robert Douglas, 6th Baronet (Robert Douglas of Glenbervie, 1694–1770), Scottish genealogist
Sir Robert Kennaway Douglas (1838–1913), Keeper of the British Museum's Department of Oriental Printed Books and Manuscripts
Robert M. Douglas (doctor) (born 1936), Chairman of Australia 21
Sandy Douglas (1921–2010), British professor of computer science
Stephen Douglas (journalist), British journalist
Sue Douglas (born 1957), British media executive and former newspaper editor
Susan J. Douglas, American feminist academic, columnist, and cultural critic
Walter Douglas, Scottish drug trafficker
William Alexander Binny "Alec" Douglas (born 1929), Canadian naval historian
William Douglas (died 1791), Scottish sea captain
William Douglas of Whittingehame (c. 1540 – 1595), Senator of the College of Justice at Edinburgh, and a Royal conspirator.
Alexandre-Pierre de Mackensie-Douglas or Mackenzie-Douglas, baron de Kildin (1713–1765), French chargé d'affaires in St Petersburg
Belinda Douglas-Scott-Montagu, Baroness Montagu of Beaulieu (1932–2022), British embroiderer
Francisco Antonio Gregorio Tudela van Breugel-Douglas (born 1955), Peruvian career diplomat
Ian Douglas-Wilson (1912–2013), British physician and editor of The Lancet
== Fictional characters ==
Eleanor Douglas, in the 2013 young adult novel Eleanor & Park, written by Rainbow Rowell
Helena Douglas, a character from the Dead or Alive video game series
Donald and Douglas, two Scottish locomotives from Thomas & Friends
== Counts Douglas in continental Europe ==
Field Marshal Robert Douglas, Count of Skenninge
Rosita Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough née Douglas
Count Gustaf Archibald Siegwart Douglas (born 1938), Swedish businessman and politician
Count Vilhelm Archibald Douglas (1883–1960), Swedish nobleman and soldier
== See also ==
Douglass (surname)
== References ==
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