Contents [hide]

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

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Davy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Wales

The rich and ancient history of the Davy family name dates back to the time when France was immersed in the Dark Ages. This Breton name is derived from the popular given name David, which means beloved. The name was also often used as a nickname for a sergeant. 1

Early Origins of the Davy family

The surname Davy was first found in Brittany, where this family was recorded in ancient times.

The name was also found with multiple noble families in diverse parts of the western regions of France. A branch formed in Orleans, the Davids of Conflans, who were mentioned three times in the Armorial of 1696, and who received testimony from the military schools. Another branch, the Davids of Perdreauville, in the county of Montfort-l'Amaury, known since 1400, contributed pages to the King and Queen and three ladies of Saint-Cyr.

The Davids of Fief, in the province of Aunis, reaffirmed their title of nobility in 1672. In the Armorial of 1696, there are also two records of the name in the city of La Rochelle, eight in Tours, nineteen in Poitou, fourteen in Normandy, six in the generality of Alençon, and seven in Caen. Many branches of the name Davy were found in Anjou, Brittany, and Normandy. 2

Jacques David, born in 1631, son of Blaise and Flavie (née Morel), settled in New France in the 17th century. He married Marie Grandin, born in 1646, daughter of Claude and Jeanne (née Tousain), at Château-Richer, Quebec on 29th August 1662. 3

Early History of the Davy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Davy research. Another 113 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1354, 1380, 1427, 1441, 1460, 1510, 1523, 1535, 1579, 1668, 1670, 1672 and 1810 are included under the topic Early Davy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Davy Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous spelling alterations depending on the region and time it was used. The early development of the French language relied heavily on borrowing elements and grammar from other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Davy is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include David, Davy, Davis, Daviaud, Davion, Daviot, Davioud, Davidou, Davin, Davinet, Davinroy, Davet, Davier and many more.

Early Notables of the Davy family

Notable amongst this name at this time was Gerhard David (c. 1460-1523), Flemish painter; and Ferenc Dávid (Francis David) (c.1510-1579), a Transylvanian Nontrinitarian and Unitarian preacher, the founder of the Unitarian Church of Transylvania. Félicien David was "one of the most prominent of French composers, was born March 8 [App. p.608 "April 13"], 1810, at Cadenet, in the south of France. His father was an accomplished musical amateur, and it is said that Félicien at the mature age of two evinced his musical taste by shouts of applause at his father's performances on the fiddle. At...
Another 94 words (7 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

Davy migration to the United States +

French settlers came early to North American, following in the wake of the explorers, and creating New France. Quebec City, founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain is said to have been the first American site founded as a permanent settlement, rather than as just a commercial outpost. But emigration was slow, in 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 French people in Quebec, and by 1663, when the region was officially made The Royal Colony of New France, by Louis XIV, there still only around 500 settlers. Over 2,000 would arrive during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. Youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted immigrants, both noble and commoner from France. By 1675, there were around 7000 French in the colony, and by that same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. Despite the loss of the Colony to England, the French people flourished in Lower Canada. Among settlers to North America of the Davy surname were

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 +

Dionne, N.-E., Origine Des Familles Canadiennes-Français. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969. Print.
Hozier, Charles D, and Antoine Bachelin-Delforenne. État présent De La Noblesse française (1883-1887): Contenant Le Distionnaire De La Noblesse Contemporaine Et Larmorial général De France, Dapres Les Manuscrits De Ch. D Hozier. Librairie Des Bibliophiles, 1884. Print.
Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
"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