Contents [hide]

Davy History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Davy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Wales
Ireland
Scotland

The surname Davy is from the unique Celtic culture that developed in Wales. This particular surname is from the personal name David, which means darling or friend. This name was common in England and Scotland from the 12th century onward, but was particularly popular in Wales even earlier. One of the most famous bearers of this personal name in Wales was David ap Gryffydd, the last Prince of North Wales, who was executed c. 1276 by King Edward I of England.

Early Origins of the Davy family

The surname Davy was first found in London where the first record appears as a forename as Daui Capriht in 1292. As a surname, again in London, Walter dauy was listed 1198-1212. Later, Richard Davy was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1275. 1

In Somerset, the first record there was of Henry Davy, 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign) 2 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Richard Davi, Suffolk; and William Davy, Oxfordshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included Jahannes Dauyman (i.e. the servant of Davy) and Matilda Dauy, doghter. 3

Early History of the Davy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Davy research. Another 154 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1588, 1612, 1621, 1622, 1629, 1630, 1640, 1641, 1654, 1660, 1661, 1662, 1670, 1671, 1678, 1679, 1684, 1685, 1692, 1707, 1710, 1765 and 1846 are included under the topic Early Davy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Davy Spelling Variations

There are relatively few surnames native to Wales, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. Early variations of Welsh surnames can be explained by the fact that very few people in the early Middle Ages were literate. Priests and the few other literate people were responsible for recording names in official documents. And because most people could not specific how to properly record their names it was up to the individual recorder of that time to determine how a spoken name should be recorded. Variations due to the imprecise or improper recording of a name continued later in history when names originally composed in the Brythonic Celtic, language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, were transliterated into English. Welsh names that were documented in English often changed dramatically since the native language of Wales, which was highly inflected, did not copy well. Occasionally, however, spelling variations were carried out according to an individual's specific design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by minor variations. The spelling variations of the name Davy have included Davy, Davey, Davie, Daivey, Daivy, Daivie, Dayvy, Dayvie, Dayvey, Devy, Devie and many more.

Early Notables of the Davy family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Sir John Davie, 1st Baronet (1588-1654), an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1621 to 1622, High Sheriff of Devon from 1629 to 1630; Sir John Davie, 2nd Baronet (1612-1678), an English politician who sat in the...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Davy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Davy World Ranking

In the United States, the name Davy is the 9,043^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4 However, in France, the name Davy is ranked the 1,128^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,858 people with that name. 5 And in New Zealand, the name Davy is the 950^th popular surname with an estimated 787 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Davy family to Ireland

Some of the Davy family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Davy migration to the United States +

North America in the 1800s and 1900s saw the arrival of many Welsh people hoping to share in the wealth of land, work, and freedom that they felt North America held. Those who made the journey often attained those expectations, but only through an enormous amount of hard work, perseverance, and often a bout of good luck. These immigrants helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and culture of both Canada and the United States. Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Davy:

Davy Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Davy, who settled in Virginia in 1639
Elizabeth Davy, who landed in Maryland in 1649 7
Daniel Davy, who arrived in New England in 1652 7
Humphrey Davy, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1665 7
Thomas Davy, who landed in Maryland in 1670 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Davy Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Davy, who arrived in America in 1760-1763 7

Davy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Edward Davy, who landed in New York in 1824 7
William Davy, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 7

Davy Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. Nicholas Davy, (b. 1883), aged 22, Cornish engineer travelling aboard the ship "Lucania" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 1st September 1905 en route to San Miguel, Colorado, USA 8

Davy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Davy Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Francis Davy, who settled in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1759 9
Mr. John Davy U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 10
Mr. Michael Davy U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 10
Private Peter Davy U.E., "Davies, Davis" (b. 1724) born in Schenectady, New York, USA from Little Falls, New York, USA who settled in Bath, Ernestown Township, Ontario, Upper Canada c. 1785 he served in the King's Royal Rangers of New York, married to Anna Maria Saltsman in 1753 they had 16 children he died in 1790 10

Davy migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Davy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Davy, (James, Hoadury, Davis), (b. 1773), aged 30, English labourer who was convicted in Exeter, Devon, England for life for felony, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1850 11
Mr. Thady Davy, Irish convict who was convicted in Sligo, Ireland for life, transported aboard the "Boyd" on 10th March 1809, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Mr. James Davy, British convict who was convicted in Norfolk, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 29th September 1831, settling in New South Wales, Australia 13
Ralph E. Davy, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Africaine" in 1836 14
Mr. Richard Davy, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 24th March 1837, sentenced for 14 years for stealing 1 barn sheet and 4 fowls from William Stevens at Feock, transported aboard the ship "Portsea" on 31st July 1838 to New South Wales, Australia 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Davy migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Davy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. R.Davy, Australian settler travelling from Sydney aboard the ship "Earl of Lonsdale" arriving in Bay of Islands, North Island, New Zealand in 1840 16
Richard Davy, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841
Miss Kate Davy, (b. 1853), aged 23, Cornish servant departing on 14th April 1876 aboard the ship "Camperdown" going to Marlborough, New Zealand arriving in port on 4 Jul 1876 17

Contemporary Notables of the name Davy (post 1700) +

John Madison Davy (1835-1909), American politician, U.S. Representative from New York
Vernal Rosecranz Davy (1862-1959), American Republican politician, Merchant; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1912 18
Ron Davy, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Massachusetts, 2008 18
Kady-Ann Davy, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from North Carolina, 2008 18
Josiah Davy, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Leeds, 1853 18
Mrs. John W. Davy, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 1932 18
John Madison Davy (1835-1909), American Republican politician, U.S. Representative from New York 30th District, 1875-77; Defeated, 1876; Justice of New York Supreme Court 7th District, 1889-1903 18
John J. Davy, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Senate 48th District, 1936 18
Herbert Davy, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Newcastle-on-Tyne, 1858, 1884 18
Henry H. Davy, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Otsego County 1st District, 1855 18
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Boyd
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1831
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) AFRICAINE 1836. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1836Africaine.htm
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to other ports, 1872 - 84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html