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Meaning & Origin of the DAVIS Surname
Davis is a Welsh surname, and the family is among the most numerous in England and Wales.
This is due to the fact that there are so many variations of the name. The original name was
David, spelled Dayfdd in Welsh -- which signifies well-beloved -- popular in Biblical days and a
favorite among Scottish kings. Though of ancient standing in Wales, David scarcely appears in
England before the Conquest. Popular current belief is that it is the shortened form of Davidson
or "son of David".
Modified in various forms, it has produced many family names such as Davis, Davidson,
Davies, Daves, Dawson, Dawes, Day, Dakin, and others. The Irish form is McDaid; the French,
Devis.
For several centuries the Davis clans lived mainly in Wales, and some in Northern Ireland,
the present-day counties on the island of Ireland, which comprise Ulster. Most of the people of
Great Britian, that is England, Scotland, Wales, and Ulster, and likewise the Davises, were and
are of the Protestant faith.
The Davises who came from the British Isles to America continued in the faith of their
fathers, for the most part, though their descendants in this country today will be found in the
memberships of practically all the various Protestant churches. The original Davis immigrants,
and their families, in the main were ardent followers of the Church of England, with their
descendants becoming members and ministers of Methodist, Methodist-Episcopal, Baptist,
Presbyterian, Congregational, and Episcopal churches. A small percentage did convert to the
Quaker and Roman Catholic faiths, however. And, there are some with the name who are of the
Jewish faith.
Taken from Davis resource center:
http://www.gwest.org/davissrc.htm
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