2000
#9,401
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,176
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.18
Rare Last name
Davy
Derived from the French surname "Davy," a diminutive of the given name "David," meaning "beloved."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,864 Americans carry the last name Davy. That puts it at #9,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 88,705 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Davy 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Davy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.9K
1 in 88,705
Census rank
#9,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,370 bearers of the surname Davy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Davy, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Black (21.1%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Davy
The surname Davy has its origins in the medieval French given name David, which is derived from the Hebrew name David, meaning 'beloved'. The name is first found in English records in the late 12th century after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
The earliest recorded spelling of the surname is found in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1166, where it appears as Davy. It was initially a patronymic surname, meaning 'son of David'. The name was widespread across England, particularly in the southern and eastern counties, by the 13th century.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, there are several references to individuals with the surname Davy, including William Davy of Oxfordshire and Robert Davy of Berkshire. The Davy surname is also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296, indicating its presence in that region.
The Domesday Book of 1086 does not contain the surname Davy, as it predates the use of hereditary surnames in England. However, it does record individuals with the given name David, which later gave rise to the surname.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Sir John Davy (c. 1285-1345), a English judge and landowner from Bodmin, Cornwall. He served as a justice of the Court of Common Pleas and acquired substantial estates in Devon and Cornwall.
Other notable individuals with the surname Davy include:
1. Sir Humphry Davy (1778-1829), a Cornish chemist and inventor, best known for his contributions to the safety lamp for miners.
2. John Davy (1790-1868), a younger brother of Humphry Davy, also a chemist and amateur philosopher.
3. Marie-Madeleine Davy (1631-1698), a French Roman Catholic nun and founder of the Daughters of the Cross.
4. Richard Davy (1588-1643), an English clergyman and Master of Caius College, Cambridge.
5. John Davy (1633-1685), an English composer and organist at the Chapel Royal.
The surname Davy has also been associated with various place names, such as Davy Hulme in Greater Manchester, which is derived from the Old English personal name Dafa and 'holmr' meaning 'water-meadow'.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Davy
Among Census respondents with the surname Davy, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Black (21.1%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Davy 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 Davy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.8% · 2,319
- Black or African American21.1% · 712
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 147
- Two or more races3.9% · 133
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Davy
Davy 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
#9,770
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,316
+140 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Down 369 places
2020
#9,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,370
+54 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Up 500 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,401 | 3,176 | 1.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,770 | 3,316 | 1.12 | +140 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 369 places |
| 2020 | #9,270 | 3,370 | 1.13 | +54 bearers (+1.6%) | Up 500 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 Davy 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 | #9,770 | #9,270 | 5.1% |
| Count | 3,316 | 3,370 | 1.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.12 | 1.13 | 0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Davy bearers went from 3,316 to 3,370 (+1.6% change). The surname moved up 500 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,770 to #9,270.
FAQ
Davy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Davy?
Name Census estimates that about 3,864 living Americans carry the surname Davy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 88,705 residents.
How common is Davy?
Davy ranks #9,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.13 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 3,370 people with the surname Davy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,864), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.13 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 Davy.
Has Davy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Davy went from 3,316 recorded bearers to 3,370. That is an increase of 54 (+1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,770 to #9,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Davy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Davy, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Black (21.1%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Davy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.8% (2,319 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Davy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.8%), Black (21.1%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Davy (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 Davy mean?
Derived from the French surname "Davy," a diminutive of the given name "David," meaning "beloved." 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 Davy (1.13 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 have the surname Davy?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.