2000
#818
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,659
First available Census row
Per 100,000 14.33
Uncommon Last name
David
A patronymic surname derived from the Hebrew male given name David, meaning "beloved."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 52,697 Americans carry the last name David. That puts it at #732 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,504 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the David surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for David with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
53K
1 in 6,504
Census rank
#732
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
46K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 45,954 bearers of the surname David in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 732nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname David, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (16.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of David
The surname DAVID originated in Wales during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Welsh word 'dafydd' meaning 'beloved'. The name likely evolved from the personal name David, which has Hebrew origins meaning 'beloved'.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname DAVID can be found in medieval Welsh records and manuscripts from the 13th century. One notable example is the mention of a Rhys ap David in the 'Annales Cambriae' chronicles from 1265.
In England, the surname DAVID is first documented in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a John David from Oxfordshire. The Domesday Book of 1086 does not contain any mentions of the surname, indicating it emerged later during the Norman period.
Over time, variations of the spelling developed, including Davids, Davyd, and Daveys. Some of these were influenced by regional dialects and accents. The surname also became associated with certain place names, such as Davidstow in Cornwall and Daventry in Northamptonshire.
Notable historical figures with the surname DAVID include Sir John David (1598-1666), a Welsh lawyer and politician who served as Speaker of the House of Commons. Another was David ap Gwilym (c.1340-c.1400), a renowned Welsh poet considered one of the greatest poets of the Middle Ages.
Other famous bearers of the surname include George David (1738-1817), a Welsh industrialist and founder of the Pembrokeshire Coalbrookdale Company, and John David (1545-1626), a Welsh Anglican bishop who served as Bishop of St Asaph.
In Scotland, the surname DAVID is also found, possibly introduced through Welsh or English settlers. One notable Scot was David Brewster (1781-1868), a renowned physicist, mathematician, and inventor who made significant contributions to the field of optics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for David
Among Census respondents with the surname David, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (16.1%).
The bar chart below shows how David bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the David surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White53.7% · 24,677
- Black or African American16.2% · 7,428
- Asian and Pacific Islander16.1% · 7,388
- Hispanic or Latino8.5% · 3,918
- Two or more races3.9% · 1,770
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 773
Timeline
Historical Census data for David
David appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 44,040
+5,381 bearers (+13.9%)
Per 100,000 14.93
Rank movement Up 36 places
2020
#732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 45,954
+1,914 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 15.37
Rank movement Up 50 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #818 | 38,659 | 14.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #782 | 44,040 | 14.93 | +5,381 bearers (+13.9%) | Up 36 places |
| 2020 | #732 | 45,954 | 15.37 | +1,914 bearers (+4.3%) | Up 50 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the David surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #782 | #732 | 6.4% |
| Count | 44,040 | 45,954 | 4.3% |
| Per 100K | 14.93 | 15.37 | 3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of David bearers went from 44,040 to 45,954 (+4.3% change). The surname moved up 50 positions in the national ranking, going from #782 to #732.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname David
FAQ
David surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname David?
Name Census estimates that about 52,697 living Americans carry the surname David. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,504 residents.
How common is David?
David ranks #732 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.37 per 100,000 residents, which is about 15 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 45,954 people with the surname David. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (52,697), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.37 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 15 of them to have the surname David.
Has David become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname David went from 44,040 recorded bearers to 45,954. That is an increase of 1,914 (+4.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #782 to #732.
What does the Census say about the background of David?
Among Census respondents with the surname David, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (16.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname David in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.7% (24,677 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
David appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (53.7%), Black (16.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (16.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for David (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does David mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the Hebrew male given name David, meaning "beloved." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for David (15.37 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname David?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.