Davis Surname

A Fun and Fact-Filled Look at the Davis Surname

Davis Name Meaning

The Davis surname is a patronymic meaning “son of David.” It  comes from the Hebrew name David, which means “beloved.” 

Davis Last Name Variations

Virtually all surnames have developed phonetic and spelling variations over many centuries in many countries. A person’s last name was often spelled however it sounded to the person recording it.

When you’re researching your branch of the Davis family tree, you may find that your ancestors used one or more of these variations of the Davis surname: D’Avis, Daivis, Dakin, Daveis, Daves, Davet, Davey, Davias, Daviaud, David, Davidge, Davidou, Davidson, Davier, Davies, Davin, Davinet, Davinroy, Davion, Davios, Daviot, Davioud, Davise, Davison, Daviss, Davitt, Davy, Daw, Dawe, Dawes, Dawson, Day, Deavis.

Davis Last Name Origin

While the Davis last name can be found in many countries, its origin is most often associated with Wales, England, and Ireland. The original pronunciations and spellings of the name in these countries became increasingly standardized over time. Today, Davis is the dominant spelling of the name in America.

Wales

Daffydd, the Welsh word for David, was one of the first variations of the Davis surname in Wales. It may have been a popular surname choice owing to the biblical King David and the strong influence of Wales’ patron saint, Saint David (c.500- c.589).

John AP David from Flintshire, a county in northeast Wales, is believed to be the first person to use the surname Davies. He was a direct line descendant of Madog ap Maredudd (d. 1160), the last prince of the Kingdom of Powys. This kingdom took up about two-thirds of what is now the Welsh county of Powys and a part of what is now England’s West Midlands region.

John married Jane, who was the daughter of Thomas Salisbury of Leadbroke, Flintshire. On April 20, 1581, John and Jane’s son, Robert Davies, asked the College of Heralds to affirm the family arms and crest. Eventually, Davies became the most popular spelling of the family name in Wales.

England

A variation of the Davis surname, Davy, was first documented in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379 for William Davy. A freeman named Richard Davys was recorded in County York in 1402.

Davys was a popular surname in many parts of early England, but Davies was more common in Cornwall and counties that bordered Wales. Over time, Davis became the primary spelling. Today, the greatest concentration of the Davis surname in England can be found in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire counties.

Ireland

In the early 1500s, Welsh and English families with Davis and similar last names began to move to Ireland.

The first Irish-born Davys to achieve prominence in the country was Sir Paul Davys (c.1600-1672). He was born in Kill, County Kildare, and with the support of his lifelong friend, James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde, became Ireland’s Secretary of State. His career spanned many governments, and he had considerable influence over Irish affairs for more than 40 years. His son, Sir William Davys (bef. 1633-1687) became Lord Chief Justice of Ireland.

Larger groups of Davys, Davies, and Davis families moved to Ireland during the 1600s. Many settled in the counties of Cork, Galway, and Wexford.

Davis Surname Geography

There are more than 1.6 million people with the Davis surname, which makes it the 311th most popular surname in the world. In America, it’s the 7th most popular surname.

Approximately 86% of people with the Davis last name live in America. Of the 1.4 million American Davises, you can find most of them in the state of Texas (116,000). But, the greatest concentration of Davises is in Mississippi. For every 100,000 people you find in Mississippi, 788 will have the last name Davis. Large concentrations of Davises can also be found in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C.

Davis Family Crest and Davis Coat of Arms

While the terms “family crest” and “coat of arms” are often used interchangeably, the family crest is simply one element of a coat of arms. A common misconception is that there are coats of arms for surnames – there aren’t. Coats of arms belong to specific individuals and families. For a person to have the right to use a coat of arms, they have to have it granted to them or be descended in the legitimate male line from a person that’s had them in the past. Companies that sell surname coats of arms are often selling the arms of a family with the same surname but to whom you have no hereditary connection.

With this knowledge in mind, coats of arms can still be valuable tools for researching and understanding your ancestry. When you’re trying to trace a branch of a family tree, you can sometimes use elements of a coat of arms from the last known ancestor to help identify earlier ancestors. This is because certain elements of a coat were frequently consistent across family branches. And, because every element has meaning, it can help us better understand our ancestors.

Here are three examples of Davis coats of arms:

The shield on the left belonged to Sir John Davie, 1st Baronet of Creedy in the county of Devon, England. It has a lion passant gules (a red lion walking) and three cinquefoils azure (three shapes made up of five leaves with a hole in the middle on a field of blue).

The shield in the center belongs to the Davis family of Croft Castle, Leominster, Herefordshire. It features a wolf salient argent (silver wolf leaping at its prey) charged on the breast with a quatrefoil gules (a red, four-leaved flower).

The shield on the right belonged to the Davis Baronets of Hollywood in the County of Gloucestershire in South West England. It has an argent chevron nebuly sable (silver and black chevrons that rise and fall smoothly) on the chief, three mullets sable (three black mullets on the silver part), and a smaller mullet sable (one black mullet at the bottom).

Davis Family Motto

Two Davis family mottos have been recorded:

• Utili secernere honestum (Translation: To separate the honourable from the useful). It belongs to the Davis Baronets of Hollywood.
  
• Heb Dhuw heb ddym, Dhuw a digon (Translation: Without God without anything, God is enough). It belongs to an unknown Davies family member.

Royal Connections to the Davis Family

Mary “Moll” Davis (c. 1648–1708) was an actress and entertainer. She met King Charles II of England in a theatre or coffeehouse in 1667 and soon became his mistress. 

In 1669, Moll and Charles II had a daughter named Mary, but their relationship ended shortly afterward. The reason for their breakup was believed to be Nell Gwyn, who competed with Moll for the king’s attention. Nell was known to have put a laxative in a piece of cake Moll ate before she left for the king’s chamber.

Following the end of their relationship, King Charles II granted Moll a £1,000 annual pension for life and furnished her with a house. Their daughter, Lady Mary Tudor, Countess of Derwentwater (1673-1726), became an actress like her mother.

Baronetcies for the Davis Family

Three baronetcies have been created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom for people with the last name Davie/Davis.

The Davie Baronetcy of Creedy in the County of Devon was created in 1641 for John Davie (c.1589-1654), a member of parliament for Tiverton. The baronetcy became extinct upon the death of Sir Humphrey Phineas Davie, 10th Baronet (1775–1846).

The Davis Baronetcy of Hollywood in the County of Gloucestershire was created for Sir John Francis Davis (1795-1890), a Governor of Hong Kong, in 1845. He was succeeded by his son, Sir Francis Boileau Davis (1871–1896). This creation is now extinct.

The Davis Baronetcy of Barrington Hall in the County of Cambridge was created for Sir Arthur Charles Davis (1878-1950), Lord Mayor of London, in 1946. The baronetcy is currently held by Sir Richard Charles Davis, 4th Baronet (b. 1970).

Davises That Shaped History

A few early Davises are noteworthy for contributions that shaped history for the better, or worse.

John Davis

John Davis, sometimes spelled Davys or Davies (c. 1550–1605), was one of the most important English navigators during the reign of Elizabeth I. He led several trips to find the Northwest Passage and was a pilot and captain on both English and Dutch trips to the East Indies. In August 1592, he discovered the Falkland Islands.

John was also the inventor of a version of the backstaff known as the Davis Quadrant. It was a navigational tool that measured the altitude of the sun by the projection of a shadow. He wrote about his invention in a 1594 work called The Seaman’s Secrets. He was also the author of The Worlde’s Hydrographical Description, which was the most detailed account of geographical knowledge at that time.

John Davies

John Davies (c.1567–1644) was an ordained minister of the Church of England and one of the most important scholars of the late Renaissance.

From Mallwyd, a small village in the Welsh county of Gwynedd, he wrote a Welsh dictionary and is thought to have been the main editor of the Welsh translations of the Bible (1620) and the Book of Common Prayer (1621).

He also wrote a Welsh grammar in Latin, which was published in 1621, a Welsh-to-Latin and Latin-to-Welsh dictionary, which was published in 1632, and a Protestant version of Christian Exercise, Appertayning to Resolution, which was also published in 1632.

A statue honoring John can be found at Mallwyd Church.

Sir John Davies

Sir John Davies (1569-1626) was an English poet, lawyer, and politician of Welsh descent.

As a poet, John was known for his epigrams and sonnets and became a favorite of Queen Elizabeth. King James VI of Scotland was also a fan of his poetry, resulting in a knighthood and promotions to solicitor-general and attorney-general in Ireland. His works are popular in Elizabethan anthologies.

In the legal realm, John developed several legal principles that fortified the British Empire. He was also instrumental in developing the colonization model used in the Irish province of Ulster under King James I. This model was later used to further England’s colonial ambitions in North America.

Humphry Davy

Humphry Davy (1778–1829) was a chemist and inventor from Cornwall. He made the Davy lamp, a safety lamp that was used in coal mines to help prevent methane gas explosions.

In 1807, he was the first person to isolate potassium and sodium. In 1808, he was the first person to isolate calcium, strontium, barium, magnesium, and boron. He also discovered chlorine and iodine as elements, clathrate hydrates, and the field of electrochemistry.

Humphry also experimented with nitrous oxide. To his surprise, he found it made him laugh, so he called it “laughing gas.” He then wrote about its use as an anaesthetic for relieving pain during surgery.

Marguerite Davis

Marguerite Davis (1887-1967) was an American biochemist and nutrition scientist that co-discovered vitamins A and B with professor Elmer McCollum at the University of Wisconsin.

The impact of Davis and McCollum’s discovery was monumental, setting the stage for a new era of research into vitamins and nutrition. Their work confirmed the theories of earlier scientists and led to the development of vitamin supplements and fortified foods. This had profound implications for public health, improving the lives of countless people suffering from nutritional deficiencies. Moreover, their research informed public health policies and nutritional guidelines on a global scale, helping to combat malnutrition and associated diseases worldwide.

Places Named for People with the Last Name Davis

Antarctica

• Davis Island (Palmer Archipelago) – named for Walter G. Davis, director of the Argentine government meteorological office during the French Antarctic Expedition of 1903-1905.
• Davis Station – named for Captain John King Davis.
• Davis Valley – named for Edward H. Davis, a construction mechanic.
• Mount Davis – named for Leo E. Davis, a geomagnetician and seismologist.

Canada

• Davis, Saskatchewan – named for Senator Thomas Osborne Davis, an area merchant and member of the Liberal Party of Canada.
• Davis Strait (between Nunavut and Greenland) – named after English explorer John Davis, who explored the area while seeking a Northwest passage.  
• Mount Davis (British Columbia mountain) – unknown origin.

Hong Kong

• Mount Davis – area named for Sir John Francis Davis, the Governor of Hong Kong from 1844 to 1848. Mount Davis Path, Mount Davis Road, and Davis Street are also named for him.

United States

• Daviess County, Kentucky (pronounced “Davis”) – named for Major Joseph Hamilton Daveiss, the United States attorney who unsuccessfully prosecuted Aaron Burr.

• Davis County, Iowa – named for Garrett Davis, a Kentucky congressman.
• Davis County, Utah – named for Daniel C. Davis, a captain in the Mormon Battalion.
• Davis, California – named for Jerome C. Davis, a local farmer.
• Davis, Illinois – named for S.J. Davis, a founder of the village.
• Davis, Missouri – unknown origin.
• Davis, Oklahoma – named for Samuel H. Davis, who moved to the area in 1887.
• Davis, South Dakota – named after an unknown early settler.
• Davis, West Virginia – named for Henry Gassaway Davis, a United States Senator.
• Davis Island (Mississippi River island) – named after Joseph Emory Davis, a wealthy lawyer and planter. He was the older brother of Jefferson Davis.
• Davis Peak (Washington mountain) – named for the homesteading family of Lucinda Davis.
• Mount Davis (California) – named for Lieutenant Milton Fennimore Davis, the first person to climb the peak.
• Mount Davis (New Hampshire) – named after the Davis family of Massachusetts whose members have held many political offices throughout New England.
• Mount Davis (Pennsylvania) – named for John Nelson Davis, an early settler who studied the mountain’s flora and fauna.

The following places are named for Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865:

• Fort Davis, Oklahoma
• Jeff Davis County, Georgia
• Jeff Davis County, Texas
• Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana
• Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi

Davis DNA Project

A  “Davis/Davies/David” Group Project is hosted by FamilyTreeDNA. The main goal of the project is to identify and unite the various branches of the Davis, Davies, and David family trees through DNA test results. Currently, there are 1,235 participants.

Recommended Davis Readings

1. DAVIES-COOKE family, of Gwysaney, Flintshire, successors of the DAVIES family, of Llannerch, Denbighshire, and Gwysaney. | Dictionary of Welsh Biography. (n.d.).
2. Burke, J. B. (1847). A Genealogical History of the House of Gwysaney .
3. Burke, B. (1996). The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
4. Burke, J. (2017). Encyclopaedia of Heraldry, or General Armory of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
5. Company Staff, A. H., & Kingsbury, A. E. (1934). Kingsbury and Allied Families.