Davis Name Meaning, Origins & History

Davis

Pronunciation: DAY-viss

Meaning David's son Origin surnames Gender Boy
BOYS RANK
#668
TREND
23
GIRLS RANK
#5,130
TREND
1,074

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of boys named Davis in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Davis

  • More than 33 thousand babies named Davis: U.S. records list 33,110 babies given the name Davis from 1880 through 2025. Even 1,038 girls received the name Davis - about 1 girl for every 31 boys.

What Does the Name Davis Mean?

Davis is an English surname used as a given name, meaning son of David. It was formed from the Middle English personal name Davy, a pet form of David, plus the patronymic ending -s. David goes back to the biblical Hebrew Dāwīḏ, commonly explained as beloved. In Welsh, the equivalent personal name is Dafydd, and the surname Davies is the usual Welsh patronymic; Davis is generally the English form, although in Wales and nearby counties the two spellings have often been treated as variants of one another.

Davis Name History & Origins

The surname Davis developed in the Middle Ages from the common personal name David and its pet form Davy. Patronymic surnames using -s became fixed in England in the later Middle Ages, and Davis belongs to that pattern alongside names such as Roberts and Williams. The Hebrew name Dāwīḏ reached western Europe through Greek and Latin biblical forms. In medieval England, David was a common personal name; in Wales, devotion to Saint David, the sixth-century bishop and patron saint of Wales, reinforced the Welsh form Dafydd. In Wales, the older patronymic system used ap or ferch rather than inherited surnames. When fixed surnames were adopted, the Welsh personal name Dafydd gave rise to Davies, and the English spelling Davis was sometimes used for the same family name. As a first name, Davis is a transferred use of the surname, following a broader practice in English-speaking countries of taking surnames as given names.

How Popular is the Name Davis?

Davis recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2007. Its best rank was #338 in 1901.

U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.

Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.

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How the Name Davis Shapes Your Personality and Life?

You are strong in material matters, determined and stubborn. You have good business ability. You are a good worker, steady and practical, a builder who takes responsibility well. These qualities may bring you a position of authority and power. You are a doer, down-to-earth, serious-minded, reliable, and self-disciplined; have good power of concentration. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.

You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.

✦ Davis's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Davis's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
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