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

Davids, 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 Davids surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Davids in America

Davids is the 12916th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Davids surname appeared 2,380 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Davids.

We can also compare 2010 data for Davids 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 Davids

The surname DAVIDS is a patronymic surname, meaning it is derived from the given name of a father or ancestor. It originated in Wales and England during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is a variant of the more common surname David, which is derived from the Hebrew given name David, meaning "beloved."

In its early form, the surname DAVIDS was often spelled with the patronymic prefix "ap" or "ab," signifying "son of." For example, it might have appeared as "ap David" or "ab David." Over time, these prefixes were dropped, and the name became simply DAVIDS.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname DAVIDS can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the late 12th century, where a person named Odo Davids is mentioned. In the 13th century, the surname is recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, where a John Davids is listed.

During the medieval period, the surname DAVIDS was particularly prevalent in the Welsh counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, as well as in the English counties of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. This suggests that the name may have originated in these regions and then spread to other parts of Britain.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname DAVIDS include:

1. John Davids (c. 1545-1622), an English clergyman and author who wrote a treatise on the Hebrew language.
2. Thomas Davids (c. 1640-1694), a Welsh Puritan writer and minister who published several religious works.
3. Samuel Davids (1719-1796), a Welsh Baptist minister and author known for his theological writings.
4. Henry Davids (1784-1858), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a rear admiral.
5. Caroline Davids (1835-1909), a British author and poet who wrote under the pen name "Claude Lake."

The surname DAVIDS has also been associated with various place names over the centuries, such as Davids Town in County Waterford, Ireland, and Davids Hill in Worcestershire, England. These place names may have been derived from individuals bearing the surname or vice versa.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Davids

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

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 Davids 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 Davids 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 Davids was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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