NameCensus.

UK surname

Davison

From the given name David, meaning "beloved" or "friend," combined with the patronymic suffix -son, indicating "son of David."

In the 1881 census there were 10,683 people recorded with the Davison surname, ranking it #400 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 17,621, ranked #350, up from #400 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northumberland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Davison is 18,141 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 64.9%.

1881 census count

10,683

Ranked #400

Modern count

17,621

2016, ranked #350

Peak year

2010

18,141 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Davison had 10,683 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #400 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 17,621 in 2016, ranked #350.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 15,594 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Davison surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Davison surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Davison 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 6,791 #410
1861 historical 7,277 #391
1881 historical 10,683 #400
1891 historical 11,448 #394
1901 historical 14,036 #373
1911 historical 15,594 #310
1997 modern 16,676 #359
1998 modern 17,552 #352
1999 modern 17,729 #350
2000 modern 17,620 #350
2001 modern 17,397 #346
2002 modern 17,701 #349
2003 modern 17,133 #352
2004 modern 17,115 #351
2005 modern 16,807 #350
2006 modern 16,892 #347
2007 modern 17,088 #347
2008 modern 17,191 #347
2009 modern 17,670 #345
2010 modern 18,141 #342
2011 modern 17,863 #342
2012 modern 17,635 #338
2013 modern 17,936 #342
2014 modern 18,029 #343
2015 modern 17,788 #344
2016 modern 17,621 #350

Geography

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Where Davisons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes, Gateshead and Bishop Wearmouth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Northumberland. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 London parishes London 3
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Bishop Wearmouth Durham
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northumberland 010 Northumberland
2 Northumberland 006 Northumberland
3 Northumberland 013 Northumberland
4 Northumberland 009 Northumberland
5 Northumberland 023 Northumberland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Davison

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Davison

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Davison, 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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Davison surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Davison household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Davison 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

Davison is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Davison falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Davison 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 Davison, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Davison

The surname Davison originated in Scotland and Northern England in the 13th century. It stems from the name David, which itself comes from the Hebrew name "David" meaning "beloved". The suffix "-son" denotes "son of", thus the name initially referred to the son of someone named David.

Davison is an anglicized form of the Gaelic patronymic "MacDhàibhidh" and the Scottish surname Davidson is an alternative spelling. Early records show the name was prevalent in Aberdeenshire, the Scottish Borders, and Northumberland by the 1300s.

One of the earliest recorded instances is William Dawysoun who appears in the Assize Court Rolls of Northumberland in 1279. The Davison spelling crops up in the 1379 Poll Tax records for Yorkshire. Over time variants like Davysone, Davisoune, and Davidsone were used before standardizing.

Notable Davisons from history include the politician Sir Henry Davison (c.1640-1686) who served as Paymaster General under King Charles II. Alexander Davison (1750-1829) was a prominent merchant and ship owner involved in the Battle of Trafalgar. Explorer Henry Davison Jr. (1771-1810) surveyed areas of Canada's Northwest Territories.

Explorer and author Archibald Davison (1841-1900) chronicled his adventures in the Arctic regions. Ralph Davison (1889-1976) was a US Navy officer who commanded several ships during World War II, receiving the Navy Cross. Lieutenant General Sir Andrew Davison (1921-1996) was a senior British Army officer.

Davison remains a common surname today, particularly in Scotland and Northern England where it has its deepest ancestral roots dating back over 700 years to the Middle Ages.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Davison families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Davison 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. Durham leads with 3,462 Davisons recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.14x.

County Total Index
Durham 3,462 11.14x
Northumberland 2,049 13.19x
Yorkshire 1,688 1.63x
Middlesex 654 0.63x
Lancashire 500 0.40x
Surrey 256 0.50x
Kent 255 0.72x
Lincolnshire 221 1.32x
Norfolk 193 1.20x
Derbyshire 169 1.03x
Nottinghamshire 132 0.94x
Staffordshire 99 0.28x
Essex 73 0.35x
Northamptonshire 72 0.73x
Cheshire 66 0.29x
Flintshire 62 2.21x
Hampshire 61 0.29x
Warwickshire 61 0.23x
Gloucestershire 59 0.29x
Lanarkshire 47 0.14x
Cumberland 46 0.51x
Sussex 42 0.24x
Suffolk 36 0.28x
Wiltshire 32 0.35x
Westmorland 28 1.22x
Bedfordshire 24 0.44x
Channel Islands 23 0.74x
Midlothian 23 0.16x
Leicestershire 20 0.17x
Monmouthshire 20 0.26x
Berkshire 19 0.24x
Devon 17 0.08x
Fife 16 0.26x
Glamorgan 16 0.09x
Shropshire 15 0.17x
Worcestershire 15 0.11x
Buckinghamshire 13 0.21x
Hertfordshire 12 0.17x
Somerset 12 0.07x
Cambridgeshire 11 0.17x
Anglesey 10 0.54x
Argyllshire 9 0.31x
Renfrewshire 7 0.09x
Roxburghshire 7 0.37x
Cornwall 6 0.05x
Dorset 5 0.07x
Kirkcudbrightshire 5 0.33x
Berwickshire 4 0.32x
Royal Navy 4 0.32x
Rutland 4 0.52x
East Lothian 3 0.22x
Isle of Man 3 0.15x
Banffshire 2 0.09x
Carmarthenshire 2 0.05x
Dunbartonshire 2 0.07x
Herefordshire 2 0.05x
Huntingdonshire 2 0.10x
Montgomeryshire 2 0.08x
Shetland 2 0.19x
Angus 1 0.01x
Ayrshire 1 0.01x
Morayshire 1 0.06x
Oxfordshire 1 0.02x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.03x
Stirlingshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bishopwearmouth in Durham leads with 389 Davisons recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.59x.

Place Total Index
Bishopwearmouth 389 14.59x
Westoe 202 11.47x
Gateshead 195 8.38x
Alnwick 117 43.80x
Bedlington 117 22.55x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 95 10.24x
Elswick 94 7.58x
Tynemouth 92 11.06x
Middlesbrough 90 6.68x
Leeds 89 1.52x
Sunderland 89 16.22x
Monkwearmouth 88 29.59x
Westgate 88 9.14x
Sheffield 84 2.55x
Wingate 81 38.03x
Hartlepool 80 18.12x
Darlington 77 6.42x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 77 5.72x
Cowpen 75 20.96x
Morpeth 75 41.05x
Islington London 73 0.72x
Calverley Cum Farsley 69 23.48x
Brandon Byshottles 64 16.44x
Byker 63 8.20x
Huddersfield 62 4.11x
Ryhope 62 28.74x
Newcastle On Tyne St 59 7.33x
Southwick 59 20.05x
Stranton 58 5.55x
Lambeth 57 0.63x
Battersea 56 1.46x
Wallsend 56 11.36x
Tanfield 55 14.89x
Dawdon 53 13.87x
Shildon 53 21.23x
Hetton Le Hole 51 12.95x
Haswell 45 20.21x
Heworth 45 7.35x
Scarborough 45 4.79x
Bishop Auckland 42 10.08x
Cornforth 42 45.91x
Longbenton 41 6.23x
Whickham 41 14.34x
Penshaw 40 42.85x
St Pancras London 40 0.48x
Monkwearmouth Shore 39 6.43x
Newbottle 39 22.99x
Usworth 38 23.03x
Castleford 37 9.82x
St Giles In Fields London 37 7.22x
Winlaton 37 12.41x
Benwell 36 21.20x
Cramlington 35 17.04x
Hawarden 35 15.87x
St Marylebone London 35 0.63x
Holy Trinity 34 1.37x
Houghton Le Spring 33 15.36x
West Auckland 33 29.05x
Birmingham 32 0.36x
Chester Le Street 32 13.41x
Crook Billy Row 31 7.79x
Dronfield 31 14.80x
Helmington Row 31 21.42x
Kensington London 31 0.53x
Medomsley 30 20.70x
Stoke Upon Trent 30 0.80x
Widdrington 30 80.69x
North Shields 29 9.35x
Poplar London 29 1.47x
Rothbury 29 65.01x
Stockton On Tees 29 1.94x
Tunstall 29 18.75x
Chelsea London 28 0.89x
Horton 28 36.46x
York St Mary 28 6.53x
Camberwell 27 0.40x
Hackney London 27 0.46x
Washington 27 20.73x
Esh 26 11.50x
Shoreditch London 26 0.57x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 850
Elizabeth 523
Jane 356
Margaret 316
Sarah 303
Ann 266
Isabella 191
Hannah 141
Annie 127
Ellen 113
Eliza 99
Alice 95
Emma 71
Martha 70
Emily 66
Maria 56
Catherine 55
Eleanor 54
Dorothy 53
Harriet 44
Ada 42
Edith 41
Frances 41
Anne 37
Louisa 36
Agnes 31
Florence 31
Clara 30
Esther 28
Caroline 26
Charlotte 26
Fanny 24
Lucy 23
Susannah 23
Rebecca 21
Kate 20
Margt. 19
Grace 17
Rose 17
Barbara 16
Ethel 16
Elizth. 15
Isabel 15
Rachel 15
Harriett 14
Minnie 14
Amelia 12
Francis 12
Henrietta 12
Lizzie 11

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 822
William 706
Thomas 517
George 402
Robert 374
James 370
Joseph 212
Henry 151
Charles 128
Edward 112
Richard 61
Ralph 58
Frederick 56
Arthur 49
Samuel 48
Alfred 47
Andrew 38
Walter 38
David 37
Francis 34
Harry 34
Matthew 34
Albert 33
Thos. 30
Frank 29
Herbert 27
Benjamin 26
Alexander 25
Fred 25
Christopher 23
Wm. 23
Mark 22
Robt. 21
Geo. 18
Tom 17
Ernest 16
Isaac 15
Peter 14
Abraham 13
Michael 13
Jno. 11
Cuthbert 10
Jonathan 10
Mathew 10
Stephen 10
Edwin 9
Martin 9
Anthony 8
Fredrick 8
Percy 8

FAQ

Davison surname: questions and answers

How common was the Davison surname in 1881?

In 1881, 10,683 people were recorded with the Davison surname. That placed it at #400 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Davison surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 17,621 in 2016. That gives Davison a modern rank of #350.

What does the Davison surname mean?

From the given name David, meaning "beloved" or "friend," combined with the patronymic suffix -son, indicating "son of David."

What does the Davison map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Davison 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.