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

Davies, 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 Davies surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Davies in America

Davies is the 1030th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Davies surname appeared 33,753 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 11 people would have the surname Davies.

We can also compare 2010 data for Davies 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 Davies

The surname Davies is a patronymic surname derived from the personal name David, which is ultimately from the Hebrew name "David" meaning "beloved". The name originated in Wales during the Middle Ages, where it was spelled as "Dafydd" in the Welsh language.

The Davies surname can be traced back to the 13th century in Wales, where it was one of the most common surnames among the Welsh people. The earliest recorded instance of the name is found in the Red Book of Hergest, a 14th-century Welsh manuscript, which mentions a person named "Dafydd ap Gruffudd".

The name Davies is closely associated with the history and culture of Wales. It was particularly prevalent in the counties of Carmarthenshire, Cardiganshire, and Pembrokeshire, where many families bearing this surname have deep roots dating back centuries.

One notable figure with the surname Davies is John Davies (1565-1618), a Welsh poet, lexicographer, and Anglican clergyman. He is best known for his work "Antiquae Linguae Britannicae" (1632), which was one of the earliest dictionaries of the Welsh language.

Another prominent individual is Richard Davies (1501-1581), a Welsh bishop and scholar who played a significant role in the translation of the Bible into Welsh. He was responsible for publishing the first printed book in the Welsh language, which was a translation of the Book of Common Prayer.

In the 18th century, Thomas Davies (1712-1785) was a prominent English actor, bookseller, and writer. He is best known for his work "Memoirs of the Life of David Garrick" (1780), which documented the life of the famous English actor David Garrick.

Samuel Davies (1723-1761) was a prominent American Presbyterian minister and president of the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University). He played a significant role in the Great Awakening, a religious revival movement in the American colonies.

Another notable figure is David Davies (1818-1890), a Welsh industrialist and philanthropist who made his fortune in the coal and iron industries. He was a member of Parliament and was instrumental in the development of the town of Llandinam in Mid Wales.

While the surname Davies is predominantly Welsh in origin, it has spread to other parts of the world through migration and has become a common surname in various English-speaking countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Davies

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

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

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

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