Davison
A masculine name derived from the surname Davidson, meaning "son of David".
Name Census estimates that about 321 living Americans carry the first name Davison. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Davison today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Davison births was 2017 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Davison. 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
321
~ 1 in 1,067,771 Americans
Peak year
2017
16 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,095
Tracked since 1980
Popularity
Davison: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Davison from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 108 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Davison remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Davison 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 Davison during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Davison
The name Davison is an English given name derived from the Hebrew name David, meaning "beloved" or "uncle". The name David has its roots in the ancient Israelites, and it first appeared in the Hebrew Bible as the name of the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel and Judah.
The name David gained widespread popularity in the Christian world due to its association with the biblical figure of King David, who was revered as a prophet, warrior, and ancestor of Jesus Christ. As Christianity spread across Europe, the name David and its variants, such as Davison, became more common.
The earliest recorded use of the name Davison can be traced back to the 12th century in England. It was initially used as a patronymic surname, indicating a person's relationship to their father, David. Over time, the surname Davison evolved into a given name in its own right.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Davison was Davison Edzell, a Scottish poet and courtier who lived in the 16th century (c. 1525-1590). Another prominent figure was William Davison, an English statesman and diplomat who served as Secretary of State during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1541-1608).
In the 17th century, Davison Peyton (1638-1679) was an American landowner and politician in Virginia. He played a significant role in the establishment of the colony and served as a member of the House of Burgesses.
The 18th century saw the rise of Davison Darby (1730-1789), an English Quaker minister and writer who traveled extensively and wrote about his experiences.
In the 19th century, Davison Dalziel (1853-1928) was a Scottish artist and illustrator best known for his illustrations in books such as "The Arabian Nights" and "The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam".
These examples demonstrate the historical prevalence of the name Davison across different cultures, professions, and time periods, highlighting its enduring appeal and diverse associations.
People
Davison + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Davison 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
Davison: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Davison?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 321 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Davison 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 1,067,771 US residents.
Is Davison a common name?
We classify Davison as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 326 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Davison most popular?
The single biggest year for Davison was 2017, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Davison is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Davison a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Davison 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.