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David Family History

David Name Meaning

Jewish Welsh Scottish English French Breton Portuguese Czech Croatian and Slovenian; Hungarian (Dávid) Slovak (mainly Dávid): from the Hebrew personal name David (in Hungarian and Slovak spelled Dávid) interpreted as ‘beloved’. The name has been perennially popular among Jews in honor of the Biblical king of this name. His prominence and the vivid narrative of his life contained in the First Book of Samuel led to adoption of the name among Christians in the Middle Ages in various parts of Europe. In Britain the popularity of this as a personal name was increased for two reasons. Firstly by virtue of its being the name of the patron saint of Wales who was abbot-bishop in the 6th century at what became known as Saint David's in Pembrokeshire. There are numerous dedications and placenames honouring the saint in south Wales and it is no coincidence that the modern surname is heavily concentrated there especially in Glamorgan. Secondly the name was borne by two kings of Scotland (David I reigning 1124–53 and David II 1329–71). Its popularity in Russia is largely due to the fact that this was the ecclesiastical name adopted by Saint Gleb (died 1015) one of two sons of Prince Vladimir of Kiev who were martyred for their Christian zeal. In North America the English form of the surname has absorbed cognates from some other languages especially Assyrian/Chaldean Dawid and Arabic Daud (with variants such as Daoud and Dawood ).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Gavin, Davy, Davids, Davie, Savin, Danis, Lavin, Davio, Davino

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Where is the David family from?

You can see how David families moved over time by selecting different census years. The David family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most David families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 1,538 David families living in Quebec. This was about 56% of all the recorded David's in Canada. Quebec had the highest population of David families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the David surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your David ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named David. 15% of David men worked as a Farmer and 9% of David women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named David were Labourer and Stenographer. .

View Census Data for David | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    15%
  • Cultivateur
    12%
  • Journalier
    11%
  • Labourer
    8%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Housekeeper
    9%
  • Couturire
    7%
  • Journalier
    6%
  • Stenographer
    6%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What David family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 278,000 census records available for the last name David. Like a window into their day-to-day life, David census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

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Passenger Lists

There are 117,000 immigration records available for the last name David. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 52,000 military records available for the last name David. For the veterans among your David ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average David lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, David life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1951, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for David in 1940 was 35, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for David

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