Davis Family Crest and Name History

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Davis PDF Surname History


The Ancient History Of The Distinguished Surname Davis

Davis

Contents

Davis history with Davis Family Crest
Davis Motto Translated
Suggested Readings for Davis

Surname Notables

About Family Crests

Davis Products

Origins Available: French, Irish, Welsh

Where did the Welsh Davis family come from? What is the Welsh coat of arms/family crest? When did the Davis family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the history of the family name?

The Welsh Davis surname is a patronymic, meaning son of David. Ultimately derived from the Hebrew name "David," meaning "beloved," the name became a popular given name throughout Medieval Europe due to the biblical king David of Israel. The popularity of the name was further increased in Britain due to it being the name of the Patron Saint of Wales. Little is known about Saint David, but he is thought to have been a 6th century monk and bishop. The name came to be used as a Patronymic name by the Brythonic people of Wales. 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.

Welsh surnames are relatively few in number, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. There are many factors that explain the preponderance of Welsh variants, but the earliest is found during the Middle Ages when Welsh surnames came into use. At this time, there were no uniform spelling rules and because the general population was illiterate, they could not specify a particular rendition of their names. Therefore, scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, which often resulted in a single person's name being inconsistently recorded over his lifetime. The transliteration of Welsh names into English also accounts for many of the spelling variations: the unique Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh had many sounds the English language was incapable of accurately reproducing. It was also common for members of a same surname to change their names slightly, in order to signify a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations. For all of these reasons, the many spelling variations of particular Welsh names are very important. The surname Davis has occasionally been spelled Davies, Davis, Divis and others.

First found in Flintshire, where the Davis family was seated from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many people from Wales joined the general migration to North America in search of land, work, and freedom. These immigrants greatly contributed to the rapid development of the new nations of Canada and the United States. They also added a rich and lasting cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. Investigation of immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Davis: Arthur Davies and Dorothy Davies, who both settled in Virginia in 1623; as did Christopher and Eman UEL Davies in 1635; Daniell Davies, who came to Barbados in 1635.

Motto Translated: Without God without anything, God is enough.

For more information on the last name Davis, the PDF Surname History is available for purchase as well as other products.

Suggested Readings for the name Davis

From the Rhondda Valley to the Clinch River Valley and Beyond: A Genealogy of the Descendants of John Davies (also Daivis) by Billie Ruth McNamara.
Amos Williams Davis: Family History, Including His Ancestors and Descendants by Eunice Freese Payne.

Some noteworthy people of the name Davis

Raymond Davis (1914-2006), American scientist who has won many awards for his scientific work, most notably the 2002 Nobel Prize in physics for detecting solar neutrinos
Sammy George Davis Jr. (1925-1990), well-known and prolific American singer, dancer, and actor and the only black member of Frank Sinatra's "Rat Pack." In 2001, he was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
Miles Dewey Davis III (1926-1991), American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer considered one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century
Geena Davis (b. 1956), American actress, film producer, writer, former fashion model, and a women's Olympics archery team semi-finalist
Edward "Lockjaw" Davis (1921-1986), American jazz tenor saxophonist
Calvin Davis (b. 1972), American athlete who won the bronze medal in the men's 400 meter hurdles at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia
Joshua "Josh" Clark Davis (b. 1972), American swimmer who won multiple gold and silver Olympic medals at the 1996 and 2000 games
Dwight Filley Davis (1879-1945), 49th United States Secretary of War (1925-1929) and avid tennis enthusiast. The Davis cup is named for him
Richard Harding Davis (1864-1916), American writer and journalist famous for his coverage of the Spanish-American War, the Second Boer War, and the First World War
Stuart Davis (1894-1964), early American modernist painter
William Morris Davis (1850-1934), American geographer, geologist, geomorphologist, and meteorologist, often called the "father of American geography."
Colonel Charles W Davis (1917-1991), American Army officer awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1943
Commander George Fleming Davis (1911-1945), American Naval Commander who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1945
David Brion Davis (b. 1927), principal authority on slavery and abolition in the Western world and is the Sterling Professor of History Emeritus at Yale University. He was awarded the 1967 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction
Owen Gould Davis Sr. (1874-1956), American dramatist awarded the 1923 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Jack Davis (1917-2000), Australian Aboriginal playwright and poet, also an Indigenous rights campaigner
Judy Davis (b. 1955), Australian actress nominated 10 times (won 3) for an Emmy Award
Sir Colin Rex Davis CH, CBE (b. 1927), English conductor and International Chair of Orchestral Studies at the Royal Academy of Music
Steve Davis OBE (b. 1957), English 6-time World Champion snooker player
Fred Davis MBE (1913-1998), British snooker World Champion in 1948, 1949, and 1951
Joe Davis OBE (1901-1978), British World Champion (1927-1940, 1946) snooker player and World Champion (1928-1932) billiards player

Tell Me More About Family Crests

Family Crests: the Heraldic Artist

We have researched the Davis family crest in the most recognized sources. Before an artist or craftsman can render a family crest, it must exist. In other words the crest must have been designed and recorded by the heralds from time immemorial.

Heraldic designs matriculated by the lay-artist in many cases becomes uninspired, meretricious and even ugly...

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Family Crests: Timeline

Many of the symbols adopted into armory have been used since the time of the ancient Egyptians, but heraldry itself did not begin until the 11th century. In continental Europe, the most ancient recorded family crest was discovered upon the monumental effigy of a Count of Wasserburg in the church of St. Emeran, at Ratisobon, Germany...

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Family Crests: Elements

In the Davis coat of arms as in all coat of arms the crest is only one element of the full armorial achievement. Again the Family Crest is just part of the story of Coats of Arms or Heraldry. Heraldry is defined as the hereditary art or science of blazoning, the description is appropriate technical terms of Coats-of-Arms and other heraldic and armorial insignia, and is of very ancient origin...

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Family Crests and Genealogy: how they relate

We encourage you to study the Davis genealogy to find out if you descend from someone who bore a particular family crest. Anyone making a study of heraldry usually becomes interested in Genealogy or seeking legal claim to a particular family crest. No families, not even the royal houses, can make sound claim to the right to bear arms unless a proven connection is established through attested Genealogical records...

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Davis Family Crest Products

Anniversary

Anniversary products for the name Davis.

Apparel

Apparel for the Davis family crest.

Armorial histories

Armorial histories for the name Davis.

Ceramics

Ceramics with a Davis coat of arms.

Clip art

Clip art of all the most used heraldic pieces.

Coat of Arms

Coat of Arms for the name Davis.

Downloads

Downloads with the coat of arms for the name Davis.

Family Crest

Family Crest for the name Davis.

Family Tree

Family Tree for the Davis family crest.

Hand Painted Plaques

Hand Painted Plaques proudly displaying the Davis coat of arms.

Keychains

Keychains emphasing the family crest for the name Davis.

Mouse pads

Mouse pads showing the Davis family crest.

New Products

New Products showing the Davis family crest.

Packages

Packages with a Davis family crest.

Plaques and Frames

Plaques and Frames displaying the Davis family crest.

Surname Histories

Surname Histories for the name Davis.

Symbolism

Symbolism for the Davis family crest.

Travel Mugs

Travel Mugs with a Davis family crest.

Popular Products
	Armorial History With Coat of Arms
	Coat of Arms & Surname History Package
	Family Crest Image (jpg) Heritage Series - 300 DPI
	Key-chain
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	Framed Surname History and Coat of Arms

The Davis Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Davis Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.