David

DAY-vid

Hebrew

"beloved"

David Origin and Meaning

The name David is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "beloved".

David is an enduring worldwide classic, used from ancient times to the present day.

David is derived from the Hebrew name Dawid, believed to come from the root dôwd, meaning “beloved”. The first famous David was the Old Testament second king of Israel: the shepherd boy who killed the giant Goliath, and later a warrior, poet, and powerful leader, wise but humanly fallible. He is an important figure in Judaism, Islam and Christianity, and later inspired many works of art, including Michelangelo’s colossal sculpture.

Since then, there have been countless Davids of note in history, literature, and popular culture, including the patron saint of Wales — a translation of the Welsh name Dewi — two kings of Scotland. Then there’s Copperfield, Crockett, Bowie, Beckham, Letterman, Grohl, and many more. Celebrities who have chosen it for their sons include Jennifer Hudson, Bar Refaeli, and J.K. Rowling.

In its international forms, David is steadily popular around the world, and ranks in the Top 10 names in Brazil, Austria, Armenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Israel.

In the USA, David has never been out of the Top 40 boy names, but was at peak popularity in the mid-twentieth century, ranking in the Top 10 from 1936-1992. This means that, although it’s still given to thousands of boys each year, it has an “older man” feel to it. It ranks highest in states with a large Jewish population, and is still a Top 10 name in New York.

After Daniel, David is the second most popular boy name starting with D. Although fading a little in popularity, it remains a serious-yet-friendly classic with deep roots.

If you’re looking to update David, perhaps as an honor name, the freshest alternatives are surnames deriving from David, including Dawes, Dawson, and Davies. You could also try an international variation, like Welsh Dai or Finnish Taavi.

David Popularity

• 31 US 2022
• 166 Nameberry 2024
• 177 Future 2028
• 62 England 2021
• 75 Scotland 2023
• 47 Ireland 2023
• 91 Australia 2015
• 84 New Zealand 2020
• 89 France 2018
• 29 Germany 2023
• 44 Netherlands 2023
• 18 Spain 2022
• 32 Portugal 2020
• 92 Sweden 2020
• 54 Belgium 2022
• 25 Switzerland 2022
• 7 Austria 2022
• 82 Poland 2023
• 18 Slovenia 2022
• 1 Israel 2020
• 43 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2022
• 64 Chile 2021
• 3 Croatia 2022
• 62 Azerbaijan 2022
• 56 Canada 2022
• 15 Mexico 2021