Davontay
From African-American origin, a variant spelling of the name David meaning beloved.
Name Census estimates that about 561 living Americans carry the first name Davontay. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Davontay today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Davontay births was 1993 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Davontay. 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
561
~ 1 in 610,970 Americans
Peak year
1993
36 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,205
Tracked since 1991
Census
Davontay in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 368 people with the first name Davontay, which placed it at #25,680 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#25,680
National first-name rank
People counted
368
368 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
73.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Davontay
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Davontay is Black at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (16.6%) and Hispanic (7.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Davontay described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Davontay at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American73.4% · 270
- Two or more races16.6% · 61
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 26
- White2.2% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
Popularity
Davontay: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Davontay from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 235 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Davontay 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 Davontay during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Davontays live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Texas, Maryland, California recorded the most babies named Davontay, while South Carolina, New York, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 6 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Davontay
The name Davontay has its origins in African American culture, emerging in the late 20th century as a creative blend of traditional names. It is believed to be a portmanteau of the names David and Montay, combining elements of Hebrew and African roots.
The name David, from the Hebrew דָּוִד (Dawid), means "beloved" and has biblical roots, referring to the famous King David of Israel. Montay, on the other hand, draws inspiration from African names like Montague or Montez, which may have connections to French or Spanish origins.
There are no known historical references or ancient texts specifically mentioning the name Davontay, as it is a relatively modern invention. However, its components have rich cultural and linguistic backgrounds that contribute to its unique character.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Davontay likely date back to the late 1970s or early 1980s, as it gained popularity among African American families seeking distinctive names for their children. While not as common as some other names, Davontay has been embraced by individuals from various backgrounds, reflecting the diversity of modern society.
Notable individuals who have borne the name Davontay include:
1. Davontay Grace (born 1992), an American football player who played for the University of Arkansas.
2. Davontay Foston (born 1991), an American basketball player who played for the University of South Carolina Upstate.
3. Davontay Thompson (born 1994), an American football player who played for the University of Memphis.
4. Davontay Pittman (born 1995), an American football player who played for the University of Central Arkansas.
5. Davontay Howell (born 1996), an American football player who played for the University of South Carolina.
While these individuals may not be widely recognized, their accomplishments and the use of the name Davontay contribute to its legacy and cultural significance within African American communities and beyond.
People
Davontay + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Davontay 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
Davontay: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Davontay?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 561 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Davontay 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 610,970 US residents.
Is Davontay a common name?
We classify Davontay as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 570 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Davontay most popular?
The single biggest year for Davontay was 1993, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Davontay is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Davontay in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 368 people with the name Davontay, or 0.12 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #25,680 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Davontay in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Davontay?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Davontay appears almost entirely male. Of the 374 people counted with this name, 99.5% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Davontay?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Davontay is Black at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (16.6%) and Hispanic (7.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Davontay most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Davontay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.4% (270 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Davontay in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Davontay a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Davontay 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.
Is Davontay still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Davontay in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Davontay can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people share the name Davontay?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.