UK boy's name
David
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "beloved".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
David is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for David popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #64, with 788 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 2,517 births.
This profile covers 37,852 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 31% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 79,406 living people in the UK are called David. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • David ranked #64 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 788 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 2,517 boys were registered as David.
- • David ranks best in London in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #10 in 2021.
- • About 79,406 living people in the UK are estimated to have David as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#64
2024
Births in 2024
788
Latest year
Peak year
1996
2,517 births
Estimated living
79,406
2026
Meaning
What does David mean?
The name David is a masculine given name of Hebrew origin. It stems from the Hebrew word "דָּוִד" (Dawid), which is likely derived from the Hebrew root word "ידד" (yadad), meaning "beloved" or "friend". The name is believed to have originated in ancient Israel, around 1000 BCE or earlier.
One of the most famous historical references to the name David is in the Hebrew Bible. David was the second king of the United Monarchy of Israel and Judah, ruling from around 1010 to 970 BCE. He is revered in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions as a prophet, a righteous king, and an ancestor of Jesus.
The name David has been continuously used throughout history, with some notable examples including:
1. David I of Scotland (1084-1153), a 12th-century king of Scotland. 2. David Hume (1711-1776), a Scottish philosopher, economist, and historian. 3. David Livingstone (1813-1873), a Scottish missionary and explorer in Africa. 4. David Lloyd George (1863-1945), a British statesman and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War I. 5. David Ben-Gurion (1886-1973), the primary founder and the first Prime Minister of Israel.
The name David has been popular across various cultures and religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It has been widely used in Europe, particularly in the United Kingdom, Scotland, and Ireland, as well as in the United States and other parts of the world with significant Christian or Jewish communities.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
David over time
The chart below shows babies named David registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For David, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 788 births in 2024, compared with 2,517 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
David by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether David was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #63 | 4,571 | 5 |
| 2010s | #52 | 12,608 | 10 |
| 2000s | #56 | 12,284 | 10 |
| 1990s | #37 | 8,389 | 4 |
Geography
Where David is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for David. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
David ranks best in London in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #10 in 2021.
Across the UK
David in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#71 in 2024
51 years of NRS records, 40,647 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#104 in 2024
28 years of NISRA records, 2,384 total registered
Related
Names similar to David
- Daniel 120,900
- Dylan 60,836
- Dominic 20,480
- Declan 11,657
- Dexter 11,627
- Danny 8,434
- Dean 5,329
- Dillon 4,113
- Douglas 3,773
- Dominik 3,494
- Damian 3,486
- Drew 3,303
FAQ
David: questions and answers
How popular is the name David in the UK right now?
In 2024, David was ranked #64 for boys in England and Wales, with 788 births registered.
When was David most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 2,517 babies registered as David in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of David?
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "beloved".
How many people are called David in the UK?
A total of 37,852 babies have been registered as David across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 40,647 more in Scotland and 2,384 in Northern Ireland.
Where is David most common?
In the latest published local rankings, David ranks best in London, where it placed #10 in 2021. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.