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 [ 2 syll. da-vid, dav-id ] The boy name David is pronounced as DEYVahD KEY. David is used chiefly in the Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Hebrew, Portuguese, Russian, Scandinavian, Slavic, and Spanish languages, and its origin is Hebrew. Biblical name derived from the element 'dod' which means beloved, favorite, darling, friend. Dawid (Hebrew) and Dewydd (Old Welsh) are old forms of David. The name was borne in the Bible by the boy who killed Goliath the giant with a slingshot and subsequently became the greatest of the kings of Israel. David was also a poet who wrote many of the biblical Psalms. He had many descendants, including his son King Solomon, and many generations later, Jesus Christ. The name was first adopted by English speakers in the Middle Ages. In Britain, the name is common in Wales, as it was borne by Saint David (500-589) or Dewi, the patron saint of Wales, and by Dafydd ap Gwilym, a 14th-century Welsh poet. It has also been common in Scotland, having been borne by two medieval kings of Scotland, David I and David II. In literature, the name is most famous from the Charles Dickens semi-autobiographical novel David Copperfield (1850); it is also known from the fictional David Balfour in the Robert Louis Stevenson novel Kidnapped (1886). The name Davida (English and German) is the female form of David. David is a widely used name; it has 49 variants that are used in both English and other languages. Variants of David used in English include Daven, Davidson, Davin (also used in Spanish and Finnish), Davis (also used in Spanish), Dawson, Dewey (also used in Welsh), and Dewi (also used in Welsh). Other English forms include the short form Dave, the pet forms Davey (also used in Hebrew, and Scottish), Davie (also used in Hebrew, and Scottish), Davy (also used in Hebrew, and Scottish), and Tab (also used in ), and the variant spelling Davyd. Foreign variants of David include Dafydd (Welsh), Daibhead (Irish), Daibhi (Irish), Daibhidh (Irish), Daith (Irish), Daithi (Irish), Daithin (Irish), Daithí (Irish), Daividh (Scottish), Danya (Russian), Daud (Arabic), Daveed (Russian), Daveth (Cornish), Davidas (Lithuanian), Davidde (Italian), Davide (French and Italian), Davidek (Czech), Davito (Spanish), Dawid (Polish and Yiddish), Dawud (Arabic), Dàibhidh (Scottish), Dáibhídh (Irish), Dávid (Hungarian and Slavic), Dew (Welsh), Dodya (Russian), Dovid (Yiddish), Dowid (Yiddish), Dudel (Yiddish), Taavetti (Finnish), and Taavi (Finnish). Specific foreign variants include the short form Davi (Hebrew, Portuguese, and Spanish), and the pet forms Dai (Welsh), Deian (Welsh), Deio (Welsh), Taffy (Welsh), and Tavi (Hebrew). See also the related forms, Davion (English) and John-David (English). David is a classic favorite. At present it is still very popular as a baby name for boys, though it was in more widespread use before. The name's popularity jumped from the 1900s up to the 1950s; before that, it was of moderate use only. At the peak of its usage in 1955, 4.125% of baby boys were given the name David. It ranked at #2 then. The baby name has since experienced a loss in popularity. In 2008, its usage was 0.747% and its ranking #14, but it was nonetheless the most popular out of all boy names in its group. In 2008, 13 times more boys were named David than the next most popular name, Dawson (English). David has mostly been a boy name, though in the past century it has also been used for girls. In 1988, the name David was given to 136 times as many boys than girls. Baby names that sound like David include Daividh (Scottish), Davyd (English), Dávid (Hungarian and Slavic), Dafydd (Welsh), Daibhead (Irish), Daibhidh (Irish), Daveed (Russian), Davidde (Italian), Dàibhidh (Scottish), Dáibhídh (Irish), Dovid (Yiddish), Daivat (Indian), Daveth (Cornish), Davide (French and Italian), and Davito (Spanish). Details of famous persons named David: KEY: Pronunciation for David: D as in "dee (D.IY)" ; EY as in "ate (EY.T)" ; V as in "vee (V.IY)" ; AH as in "hut (HH.AH.T)" ; D as in "dee (D.IY)"   |
