2000
#16,899
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,554
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.58
Rare Last name
Davi
A surname possibly derived from the English "Davy", a diminutive of David.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,957 Americans carry the last name Davi. That puts it at #16,358 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 175,143 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Davi surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 175,143
Census rank
#16,358
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,707 bearers of the surname Davi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16358th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Davi, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Hispanic (8.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Davi
The surname DAVI originated in Italy during the medieval period, deriving from the Latin name "David". It is believed to have first emerged in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria, where it was likely used as a nickname or a shortened form of the given name David.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname DAVI can be found in the 13th century, in the historical records of the city of Florence. In these documents, a man named Davi di Giovanni is mentioned as a merchant and landowner. This suggests that the DAVI surname had already gained some prominence in the area by that time.
During the Renaissance period, the DAVI surname appeared in several notable works of literature and art. For instance, the Italian poet Dante Alighieri mentioned a certain Davi in his famous work, the Divine Comedy, written in the early 14th century.
In the 15th century, a prominent figure bearing the DAVI surname was Francesco Davi, a renowned architect from Siena. He is credited with designing several iconic buildings in the city, including the Palazzo Pubblico and the Duomo di Siena.
Another notable individual with the DAVI surname was Giovanni Battista Davi, a 16th-century painter from the city of Genoa. He was known for his religious and mythological works, which can still be found in various churches and galleries across Italy.
In the 17th century, the DAVI surname gained further prominence with the birth of Pietro Davi, a celebrated composer and organist from Naples. His works were highly influential in the development of Italian baroque music.
Over the centuries, the DAVI surname has also been associated with various place names and locations in Italy. For example, the town of Davi in the province of Avellino is believed to have been named after a family bearing this surname. Additionally, there are variations in the spelling of the surname, such as Davì and Daví, which may have emerged due to regional differences or linguistic evolution.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Davi
Among Census respondents with the surname Davi, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Hispanic (8.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Davi bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Davi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.8% · 1,311
- Black or African American9.4% · 160
- Hispanic or Latino8.3% · 141
- Two or more races2.8% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Davi
Davi appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#20,709
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,277
-277 bearers (-17.8%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Down 3,810 places
2020
#16,358
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,707
+430 bearers (+33.7%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Up 4,351 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,899 | 1,554 | 0.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,709 | 1,277 | 0.43 | -277 bearers (-17.8%) | Down 3,810 places |
| 2020 | #16,358 | 1,707 | 0.57 | +430 bearers (+33.7%) | Up 4,351 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Davi surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #20,709 | #16,358 | 21.0% |
| Count | 1,277 | 1,707 | 33.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.43 | 0.57 | 32.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Davi bearers went from 1,277 to 1,707 (+33.7% change). The surname moved up 4,351 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,709 to #16,358.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Davi
FAQ
Davi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Davi?
Name Census estimates that about 1,957 living Americans carry the surname Davi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 175,143 residents.
How common is Davi?
Davi ranks #16,358 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,707 people with the surname Davi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,957), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Davi.
Has Davi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Davi went from 1,277 recorded bearers to 1,707. That is an increase of 430 (+33.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #20,709 to #16,358.
What does the Census say about the background of Davi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Davi, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Hispanic (8.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Davi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.8% (1,311 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Davi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.8%), Black (9.4%), Hispanic (8.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Davi (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Davi mean?
A surname possibly derived from the English "Davy", a diminutive of David. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Davi (0.57 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Davi?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.