Davis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  France 
  Ireland 
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  Wales 


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 Gruffydd, the last Prince of North Wales, who was executed in 1276 by King Edward I of England.

Early Origins of the Davis family

The surname Davis was first found in Flintshire (Welsh: Sir y Fflint), a historic county, created after the defeat of the Welsh Kingdom of Gwynedd in 1284, and located in north-east Wales, where the distinguished Davis family held a family seat from very ancient times.

They were descended from Cynrig Efell, Lord of Eglwysegle, the twin son of Madog ab Maredadd, the great grandson of Bleddyn ap Cynvin, Prince of Powys, head of the honorable and worthy third Royal Tribe of Wales, who was traitorously murdered in 1073 by the men of Ystrad Tywi, after he had governed all of Wales for 13 years.

Directly descended from this line was John ap Davydd (John Davies of Gwasanau in the county of Flint).

Early History of the Davis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Davis research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1550, 1575, 1600, 1605, 1623, 1625, 1633, 1646, 1648, 1667, 1670, 1672, 1675, 1680, 1687, 1688, 1689, 1690, 1692, 1693, 1715, 1716, 1718, 1719, 1722, 1739, 1760 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Davis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Davis Spelling Variations

The Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. It was up to the priest or the scribe taking the official records to determine how the spoken name was to be made literal. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Davis have included Davies, Davis, Divis and others.

Early Notables of the Davis family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

Davis World Ranking

In the United States, the name Davis is the 6th most popular surname with an estimated 1,193,760 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Davis is ranked the 58th most popular surname with an estimated 35,809 people with that name. 2 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Davis is the 863rd popular surname. 3 Newfoundland, Canada ranks Davis as 60th with 429 people. 4 Australia ranks Davis as 23rd with 51,740 people. 5 New Zealand ranks Davis as 21st with 6,052 people. 6 The United Kingdom ranks Davis as 52nd with 78,574 people. 7 South Africa ranks Davis as 723rd with 9,461 people. 8

Migration of the Davis family to Ireland

Some of the Davis family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 201 words (14 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Davis migration to the United States +

During the latter half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the people of Wales journeyed to North America to find a new life. They made major contributions to the arts, industry and commerce of both Canada and the United States, and added a rich cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Davis:

Davis Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Davis Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Davis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
Davis Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Davis migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Davis Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Davis Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
Davis Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Davis migration to Australia +

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

Davis Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
Davis Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Davis 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:

Davis Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
Davis Settlers in New Zealand in the 20th Century

Davis migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 17
Davis Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
Davis Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Davis (post 1700) +


The Davis Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Heb Dhuw heb ddym, Dhuw a digon
Motto Translation: Without God without anything, God is enough.


Suggested Readings for the name Davis +
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