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

Davidson, 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 Davidson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Davidson in America

Davidson is the 301st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Davidson surname appeared 103,930 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 35 people would have the surname Davidson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Davidson 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 Davidson

The surname Davidson originated in Scotland, deriving from the medieval personal name David with the addition of "son" to form the patronymic name. The earliest records of the surname can be traced back to the 12th century.

Davidson is an anglicized version of the Scottish Gaelic name Mac Dhaibhidh, meaning "son of David". The name is believed to have originated in the regions of Aberdeenshire and Moray, where it was particularly prevalent.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls documenting feudal allegiances to King Edward I of England. The name is also found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the 14th century.

The name Davidson has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. Sir Robert Davidson (1604-1662) was a Scottish minister and theologian who served as the Principal of the University of Glasgow. James Davidson (1703-1738) was a Scottish philosopher and writer, known for his work "Selections from the Philosophical Works of Arbuthnot".

Another prominent figure was John Davidson (1857-1909), a Scottish poet and playwright who was part of the "Scottish Renaissance" literary movement. His notable works include the play "Undo Preciosa" and the poetry collection "Fleet Street Eclogues".

In the realm of science, Thomas Davidson (1817-1885) was a Scottish-American philosopher and educator who founded the Glenmore Summer School of Philosophy, which attracted notable thinkers like William James and Josiah Royce.

The Davidson name has also been linked to various place names in Scotland, such as Davidsons Mains in Midlothian and Davidsons Croft in Aberdeenshire, suggesting the widespread presence of the surname across different regions.

Overall, the surname Davidson has a rich history rooted in Scotland, tracing back to the 12th century and encompassing individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, from literature and theology to philosophy and education.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Davidson

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

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

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

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