NameCensus.

UK surname

Davis

A patronymic surname meaning "son of David."

In the 1881 census there were 65,757 people recorded with the Davis surname, ranking it #34 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 76,919, ranked #51, down from #34 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Stroud, Forest of Dean and Herefordshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Davis is 78,837 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 17.0%.

1881 census count

65,757

Ranked #34

Modern count

76,919

2016, ranked #51

Peak year

2010

78,837 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Davis had 65,757 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #34 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 76,919 in 2016, ranked #51.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 75,988 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Davis surname distribution map

The map shows where the Davis surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Davis surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Davis over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 47,632 #30
1861 historical 51,222 #28
1881 historical 65,757 #34
1891 historical 67,761 #39
1901 historical 73,745 #42
1911 historical 75,988 #41
1997 modern 74,874 #50
1998 modern 77,971 #50
1999 modern 78,358 #50
2000 modern 77,856 #50
2001 modern 75,834 #50
2002 modern 77,880 #50
2003 modern 75,686 #50
2004 modern 75,643 #50
2005 modern 74,488 #51
2006 modern 74,551 #51
2007 modern 74,914 #51
2008 modern 75,136 #51
2009 modern 77,105 #50
2010 modern 78,837 #51
2011 modern 77,674 #51
2012 modern 76,296 #51
2013 modern 77,815 #51
2014 modern 78,273 #51
2015 modern 77,268 #51
2016 modern 76,919 #51

Geography

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Where Davis' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Stroud, Forest of Dean and Herefordshire. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Stroud 006 Stroud
2 Forest of Dean 004 Forest of Dean
3 Stroud 004 Stroud
4 Forest of Dean 009 Forest of Dean
5 Herefordshire 019 Herefordshire, County of

Forenames

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First names often paired with Davis

These lists show first names that appear often with the Davis surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Davis

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Davis, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Davis surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Davis household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Davis is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Davis is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Davis falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Davis is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Davis, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Davis

The surname Davis is of Welsh origin, derived from the patronymic form of the personal name David, meaning "beloved" in Hebrew. It is believed to have originated in the early Middle Ages, around the 11th or 12th century, when the use of hereditary surnames became more widespread in Wales.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Davis can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Dauid." This suggests that the name was already in use in England by the time of the Norman Conquest.

The name Davis is particularly prevalent in the counties of Pembrokeshire, Cardiganshire, and Carmarthenshire in southwestern Wales, where it was likely derived from the Welsh patronymic form "ap Dafydd" or "ab Dafydd" (meaning "son of David").

In England, the name Davis is also found in areas with strong Welsh influences, such as the border counties of Herefordshire, Shropshire, and Gloucestershire.

Notable individuals with the surname Davis throughout history include:

1. Henry Davis (c. 1550-1609), an English poet and author of the works "Hymns to Astraea" and "Nosce Teipsum." 2. John Davis (c. 1550-1605), an English navigator and explorer who conducted three voyages in search of the Northwest Passage. 3. Thomas Davis (1814-1845), an Irish revolutionary and political writer who co-founded the Young Ireland movement. 4. Rebecca Davis (1616-1688), one of the first women to be accused of witchcraft in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. 5. Sammy Davis Jr. (1925-1990), an American entertainer, singer, dancer, and actor who was part of the Rat Pack with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.

The name Davis has also been associated with various place names, such as Davistow in Cornwall, England, and Davis Islands in Tampa, Florida, which were likely named after individuals bearing the surname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Davis families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Davis surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 10,869 Davis' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.69x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 10,869 1.69x
Gloucestershire 5,285 4.20x
Surrey 4,904 1.57x
Staffordshire 4,449 2.05x
Warwickshire 4,185 2.58x
Lancashire 3,540 0.46x
Worcestershire 2,722 3.25x
Kent 2,626 1.20x
Somerset 2,523 2.44x
Yorkshire 2,391 0.38x
Glamorgan 1,836 1.64x
Hampshire 1,765 1.34x
Wiltshire 1,411 2.49x
Devon 1,320 0.99x
Durham 1,100 0.58x
Essex 1,083 0.85x
Monmouthshire 1,063 2.29x
Sussex 1,016 0.94x
Herefordshire 843 3.20x
Berkshire 840 1.74x
Dorset 817 1.94x
Nottinghamshire 783 0.90x
Derbyshire 764 0.76x
Shropshire 755 1.36x
Oxfordshire 557 1.41x
Cheshire 535 0.38x
Northamptonshire 485 0.80x
Leicestershire 476 0.67x
Hertfordshire 450 1.02x
Cornwall 423 0.58x
Buckinghamshire 419 1.08x
Northumberland 404 0.42x
Lanarkshire 353 0.17x
Bedfordshire 277 0.83x
Lincolnshire 264 0.26x
Cumberland 204 0.37x
Suffolk 144 0.18x
Westmorland 141 1.00x
Pembrokeshire 139 0.68x
Cambridgeshire 136 0.33x
Norfolk 135 0.14x
Renfrewshire 105 0.21x
Midlothian 104 0.12x
Caernarfonshire 95 0.37x
Denbighshire 93 0.38x
Royal Navy 91 1.19x
Brecknockshire 88 0.69x
Montgomeryshire 86 0.58x
Channel Islands 77 0.40x
Merionethshire 74 0.63x
Ayrshire 69 0.14x
Carmarthenshire 66 0.24x
Huntingdonshire 50 0.39x
Cardiganshire 42 0.27x
Isle of Man 38 0.32x
Rutland 36 0.76x
Aberdeenshire 30 0.05x
Radnorshire 29 0.56x
Angus 27 0.05x
Anglesey 23 0.20x
Fife 21 0.06x
Flintshire 19 0.11x
Wigtownshire 17 0.20x
Perthshire 15 0.05x
Inverness-shire 12 0.06x
Argyllshire 10 0.06x
Dunbartonshire 9 0.05x
Dumfriesshire 8 0.06x
West Lothian 8 0.08x
Clackmannanshire 7 0.13x
East Lothian 7 0.08x
Orkney 6 0.09x
Stirlingshire 4 0.02x
Buteshire 3 0.08x
Caithness 3 0.03x
Nairnshire 1 0.05x
Ross-shire 1 0.01x
Roxburghshire 1 0.01x
Selkirkshire 1 0.02x
Shetland 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 1,663 Davis' recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.08x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 1,663 3.08x
Aston 1,277 2.86x
Lambeth 1,020 1.82x
Islington London 1,004 1.61x
St Pancras London 885 1.71x
Camberwell 706 1.72x
Wolverhampton 607 3.64x
Hackney London 579 1.61x
St Marylebone London 573 1.67x
Bethnal Green London 520 1.86x
Kensington London 519 1.45x
Shoreditch London 495 1.78x
Mile End Old Town London 478 3.50x
Newington 439 1.85x
Battersea 424 1.79x
Paddington London 414 1.75x
West Bromwich 396 3.19x
Chelsea London 389 2.01x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 377 3.18x
Portsea 360 1.40x
Walsall Foreign 357 3.19x
West Ham 347 1.24x
Stoke Upon Trent 341 1.48x
Bedwellty 319 3.89x
Cheltenham 308 3.17x
Bermondsey 307 1.61x
Swansea Town 299 3.26x
Nottingham St Mary 289 1.29x
Merthyr Tydfil 285 2.65x
Southwark St George Martyr 281 2.18x
Bromley London 273 1.93x
Bedminster 265 2.73x
Hammersmith London 252 1.59x
Deptford St Paul 251 1.49x
Brighton 233 1.07x
St George Hanover Square 233 2.06x
Liverpool 227 0.49x
Manchester 225 0.66x
Clerkenwell London 224 1.48x
Westbury On Severn East 218 7.66x
Edgbaston 216 4.30x
Stockton On Tees 215 2.34x
St Luke London 214 2.08x
Spitalfields London 211 4.37x
Croydon 207 1.19x
Kings Norton 199 2.65x
Bisley 198 17.35x
Whitechapel London 195 3.08x
Bristol St George 192 3.30x
Clifton 190 2.98x
Clase 175 4.21x
St George In East London 172 2.85x
Lewisham 168 1.44x
Leeds 162 0.45x
Salford 162 0.72x
West Derby 161 0.72x
Harborne 159 2.29x
Rotherhithe 158 1.99x
Walcot 158 2.87x
Woolwich 158 1.95x
Aberdare 157 2.05x
Stoke Damerel 156 1.67x
Bristol St James St Paul 152 3.62x
Everton 152 0.63x
Bristol St Paul In 151 4.50x
Rowley Regis 149 2.47x
Plymouth St Andrew 148 1.44x
Westbury On Trym 147 3.45x
Poplar London 144 1.19x
Bow London 143 1.75x
Dudley 143 1.40x
Preston 143 0.70x
Tottenham 143 1.40x
Hampstead London 142 1.42x
Trowbridge 142 5.66x
Willenhall 142 3.50x
Kidderminster Borough 141 2.87x
Westminster St John 132 1.69x
Wolstanton 132 2.01x
Sedgley 131 1.63x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Davis surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 4,170
Elizabeth 2,571
Sarah 2,223
Ann 1,348
Jane 1,265
Eliza 1,100
Emma 1,087
Ellen 959
Alice 942
Annie 874
Emily 857
Hannah 628
Louisa 530
Margaret 529
Martha 482
Harriet 460
Caroline 440
Charlotte 427
Florence 396
Maria 394
Fanny 385
Edith 347
Catherine 342
Ada 338
Clara 316
Kate 314
Anne 279
Lucy 244
Amelia 234
Rose 234
Susan 222
Agnes 218
Esther 208
Frances 208
Harriett 207
Matilda 196
Julia 190
Rebecca 175
Sophia 151
Minnie 148
Amy 136
Isabella 131
Eleanor 125
Jessie 125
Susannah 121
Elizth. 117
Lydia 116
Gertrude 110
Rachel 108
Selina 106

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Davis surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 4,144
John 3,603
George 2,260
Thomas 2,230
James 1,740
Henry 1,568
Charles 1,325
Joseph 898
Edward 825
Alfred 795
Arthur 617
David 594
Richard 580
Frederick 573
Samuel 567
Robert 502
Albert 501
Walter 443
Harry 362
Edwin 305
Frank 290
Ernest 234
Francis 223
Herbert 197
Benjamin 196
Wm. 192
Daniel 166
Thos. 154
Isaac 136
Fred 101
Evan 90
Stephen 87
Tom 86
Fredk. 82
Sidney 79
Fredrick 74
Abraham 70
Geo. 70
Lewis 68
Chas. 66
Percy 64
Alexander 61
Willm. 60
Mark 59
Peter 58
Edmund 57
Sydney 57
Philip 52
Jno. 47
Enoch 42

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Davis households.

FAQ

Davis surname: questions and answers

How common was the Davis surname in 1881?

In 1881, 65,757 people were recorded with the Davis surname. That placed it at #34 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Davis surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 76,919 in 2016. That gives Davis a modern rank of #51.

What does the Davis surname mean?

A patronymic surname meaning "son of David."

What does the Davis map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Davis bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.