Find out how popular the last name Davey is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Davey.

Davey, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Davey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Davey in America

Davey is the 3918th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Davey surname appeared 9,071 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Davey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Davey to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Davey

The surname Davey is of English origin and is a variation of the name David. It first emerged in the 12th century as a diminutive form of the name David, meaning "beloved" in Hebrew.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Davey appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1201, where it is listed as Davi. Other early spellings include Davye, Davy, and Davye.

The name Davey is often associated with the county of Yorkshire, where it was particularly prevalent in the medieval period. It is believed that many Davey families originated from the Yorkshire village of Davey, now known as Dairycoates.

One of the earliest notable people with the surname Davey was John Davey, a 14th-century English prelate who served as Bishop of Salisbury from 1329 to 1341.

In the 16th century, the name Davey gained prominence with the rise of the Davey family of Credy, Devon. This family produced several notable individuals, including Sir John Davey (1545-1619), who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1603.

Another prominent figure with the surname Davey was Sir Humphrey Davey (1778-1829), an English chemist and inventor who is best known for his contributions to the study of electrochemistry and the discovery of several elements, including potassium and sodium.

In the 19th century, the name Davey was associated with the English botanist and horticulturist, John Davey (1763-1838), who is credited with introducing the Davey Tree Expert Company, which became one of the largest tree care companies in the United States.

Other notable individuals with the surname Davey include the English cricketer, Maurice Davey (1885-1958), who played for Somerset County Cricket Club, and the American politician, Ralph Davey (1896-1976), who served as the 43rd Governor of Idaho.

Throughout its history, the surname Davey has been associated with various place names, such as Davey's Court in London and Davey's Creek in New South Wales, Australia, further highlighting its widespread presence and significance across different regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Davey

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Davey.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Davey was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Davey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Davey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Davey, please contact us.

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