NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Davis

A masculine name derived from the Hebrew word "David", 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.

Davis is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Davis popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2921, with 7 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2001, with 15 births.

This profile covers 250 England and Wales registrations across 28 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, 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 47% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 293 living people in the UK are called Davis. 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

  • Davis ranked #2921 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 7 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2001, when 15 boys were registered as Davis.
  • Davis ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #720 in 2021.
  • About 293 living people in the UK are estimated to have Davis as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#2921

2024

Births in 2024

7

Latest year

Peak year

2001

15 births

Estimated living

293

2026

Meaning

What does Davis mean?

The name Davis originated as an English surname derived from the given name David, which has Hebrew roots meaning "beloved". It emerged as a common first name in use during the Middle Ages, between the 5th and 15th centuries.

The name Davis can be traced back to the biblical figure King David, a ruler of ancient Israel mentioned in the Old Testament. Born around 1040 BCE, he was renowned for slaying the giant Goliah and later becoming the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the first name Davis was Davis Dolben, an English bishop and clergyman born in 1640. He served as the Bishop of Bangor and later became the Bishop of New Sarum (Salisbury) in the late 17th century.

Another notable Davis from history was Davis Mell Gregg (1833-1916), a American military officer who fought for the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. He achieved the rank of Major General and participated in several key battles, including the Battle of Fredericksburg.

In the field of science, Davis Grubb (1919-1980) was an American author and novelist best known for his novel "Night of the Hunter", which was later adapted into a critically acclaimed film. He was born in Muncie, Indiana and his works often explored themes of good versus evil.

Davis Love III (born 1964) is a professional golfer from the United States who has won numerous PGA Tour events, including the 1997 PGA Championship. He has also represented the United States in several Ryder Cup competitions.

Finally, Davis Guggenheim (born 1963) is an American filmmaker and documentary director, best known for his Academy Award-winning film "An Inconvenient Truth" about former Vice President Al Gore's campaign to raise awareness of global warming.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Davis over time

The chart below shows babies named Davis 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 Davis, the clearest high point is 2001. The latest England and Wales figure is 7 births in 2024, compared with 15 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Davis
0481115199620102024

Decades

Davis by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Davis 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 #3120 33 5
2010s #2276 96 10
2000s #1829 93 9
1990s #1875 28 4

Geography

Where Davis is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Davis. 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.

Davis ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #720 in 2021.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Davis in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#720 in 2021

12 years of NRS records, 45 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Davis

  • Davis Keillor-Dunn

    association football player

    English association football player (born 1997)

    1997-

  • Davis McCaughey

    Christian minister

    British-Australian Bible scholar, Christian minister, university administrator and Governor of Victoria (1914-2005)

    1914-2005

  • Davis Claude Boulton

    cinematographer; unit still photographer

    UK cinematographer (1911-1989)

    1911-1989

  • Davis Evan Bedford

    military personnel; cardiologist

    British physician and cardiologist

    1898-1978

  • Davis Croghan

    Archdeacon of Bloemfontein (1832-1890)

    1832-1890

Related

Names similar to Davis

FAQ

Davis: questions and answers

How popular is the name Davis in the UK right now?

In 2024, Davis was ranked #2921 for boys in England and Wales, with 7 births registered.

When was Davis most popular?

The peak year on record was 2001, with 15 babies registered as Davis in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Davis?

A masculine name derived from the Hebrew word "David", meaning "beloved".

How many people are called Davis in the UK?

A total of 250 babies have been registered as Davis across the 28 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 45 more in Scotland.

Where is Davis most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Davis ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #720 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.