Duke of Hamilton is a title in the
Peerage of Scotland, created in 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 Scotland, as well as being head of both the
House of Hamilton and the
House of Douglas. The title, the town of
Hamilton in
Lanarkshire, and many places around the world are named after members of the
Hamilton family. The Ducal family's surname, originally "
Hamilton", is now "
Douglas-Hamilton". Since 1711, the Dukedom has been held together with the Dukedom of Brandon in the
Peerage of Great Britain, and the Dukes since that time have been styled
Duke of Hamilton and Brandon, along with several other subsidiary titles.