2000
#269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102,044
First available Census row
Per 100,000 37.83
Common Last name
Davidson
Patronymic surname meaning "son of David," referring to the biblical King David or someone named David.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115,482 Americans carry the last name Davidson. That puts it at #308 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 33.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,968 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Davidson 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 Davidson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
115K
1 in 2,968
Census rank
#308
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
33.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100,706 bearers of the surname Davidson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 33.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 308th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Davidson, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Davidson
The surname Davidson originated in Scotland, deriving from the medieval personal name David with the addition of "son" to form the patronymic name. The earliest records of the surname can be traced back to the 12th century.
Davidson is an anglicized version of the Scottish Gaelic name Mac Dhaibhidh, meaning "son of David". The name is believed to have originated in the regions of Aberdeenshire and Moray, where it was particularly prevalent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls documenting feudal allegiances to King Edward I of England. The name is also found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the 14th century.
The name Davidson has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. Sir Robert Davidson (1604-1662) was a Scottish minister and theologian who served as the Principal of the University of Glasgow. James Davidson (1703-1738) was a Scottish philosopher and writer, known for his work "Selections from the Philosophical Works of Arbuthnot".
Another prominent figure was John Davidson (1857-1909), a Scottish poet and playwright who was part of the "Scottish Renaissance" literary movement. His notable works include the play "Undo Preciosa" and the poetry collection "Fleet Street Eclogues".
In the realm of science, Thomas Davidson (1817-1885) was a Scottish-American philosopher and educator who founded the Glenmore Summer School of Philosophy, which attracted notable thinkers like William James and Josiah Royce.
The Davidson name has also been linked to various place names in Scotland, such as Davidsons Mains in Midlothian and Davidsons Croft in Aberdeenshire, suggesting the widespread presence of the surname across different regions.
Overall, the surname Davidson has a rich history rooted in Scotland, tracing back to the 12th century and encompassing individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, from literature and theology to philosophy and education.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Davidson
Among Census respondents with the surname Davidson, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Davidson 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 Davidson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.9% · 81,425
- Black or African American10.0% · 10,081
- Two or more races4.1% · 4,123
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 3,588
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 876
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 613
Timeline
Historical Census data for Davidson
Davidson 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
#301
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103,930
+1,886 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 35.23
Rank movement Down 32 places
2020
#308
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100,706
-3,224 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 33.69
Rank movement Down 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #269 | 102,044 | 37.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #301 | 103,930 | 35.23 | +1,886 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 32 places |
| 2020 | #308 | 100,706 | 33.69 | -3,224 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 7 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 Davidson 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 | #301 | #308 | -2.3% |
| Count | 103,930 | 100,706 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 35.23 | 33.69 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Davidson bearers went from 103,930 to 100,706 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #301 to #308.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Davidson
FAQ
Davidson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Davidson?
Name Census estimates that about 115,482 living Americans carry the surname Davidson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,968 residents.
How common is Davidson?
Davidson ranks #308 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 33.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 34 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 100,706 people with the surname Davidson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115,482), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 33.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 33.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 34 of them to have the surname Davidson.
Has Davidson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Davidson went from 103,930 recorded bearers to 100,706. That is a decrease of 3,224 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #301 to #308.
What does the Census say about the background of Davidson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Davidson, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Davidson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.9% (81,425 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Davidson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.9%), Black (10.0%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Davidson (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 Davidson mean?
Patronymic surname meaning "son of David," referring to the biblical King David or someone named David. 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 Davidson (33.69 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 people have the surname Davidson?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.