Davidson
Son of the beloved red one.
Name Census estimates that about 1,078 living Americans carry the first name Davidson. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Davidson today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Davidson births was 2009 (38 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Davidson. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.1K
~ 1 in 317,954 Americans
Peak year
2009
38 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,698
Tracked since 1924
Popularity
Davidson: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Davidson from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 286 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Davidson remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Davidson by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Davidson during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Davidsons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Florida, North Carolina, New York recorded the most babies named Davidson, while California, Texas, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 28 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Davidson
The name Davidson is an English given name derived from the Scottish surname Davidson, which means "son of David." It is a patronymic name, originating from the Hebrew name David, meaning "beloved." The name has its roots in ancient Judeo-Christian tradition, as it is the name of the iconic biblical figure, King David of Israel.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Davidson can be found in the 12th century, when a Scottish knight named Sir John Davidson was mentioned in the records of the Scottish Crown. In the 13th century, a notable Scottish clergyman named William Davidson served as the Bishop of Moray from 1242 to 1258.
During the Renaissance period, the name gained prominence with individuals such as John Davidson (c. 1537-1604), a Scottish Protestant scholar and poet who was known for his satirical works and religious poetry. Another notable figure was Thomas Davidson (1638-1709), a Scottish writer and philosopher who wrote on a wide range of subjects, including metaphysics, logic, and natural philosophy.
In the 18th century, the name Davidson was associated with several historical figures, including William Davidson (1746-1826), a Scottish-American pioneer and soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He later became a prominent landowner and businessman in Tennessee.
The 19th century saw the rise of individuals such as Samuel Davidson (1806-1899), an Irish biblical scholar and Orientalist who made significant contributions to the study of Biblical Hebrew and Syriac languages. Another notable figure was Randall Thomas Davidson (1848-1930), an English clergyman who served as the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1903 to 1928, a pivotal period in the history of the Church of England.
In the 20th century, the name Davidson was carried by individuals such as Donald Davidson (1917-2003), an American philosopher and logician who made significant contributions to the field of analytic philosophy. He is particularly known for his work on the theory of truth and the philosophy of language.
Other notable figures include Garrett Davidson (1904-1992), an American film director and screenwriter who worked on several notable films during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and John Davidson (1941-), an American actor, singer, and game show host who gained fame in the 1960s and 1970s for his roles in various television shows and films.
People
Davidson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Davidson as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Davidson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Davidson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,078 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Davidson going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 317,954 US residents.
Is Davidson a common name?
We classify Davidson as "Rare". It ranks above 90.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,117 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Davidson most popular?
The single biggest year for Davidson was 2009, when 38 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Davidson is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Davidson a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Davidson in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.