2000
#988
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,165
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.92
Uncommon Last name
Davies
A patronymic Welsh surname meaning "son of David."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 38,926 Americans carry the last name Davies. That puts it at #1,010 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,805 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Davies 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 Davies with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
39K
1 in 8,805
Census rank
#1,010
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
34K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 33,945 bearers of the surname Davies in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1010th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Davies, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Davies
The surname Davies is a patronymic surname derived from the personal name David, which is ultimately from the Hebrew name "David" meaning "beloved". The name originated in Wales during the Middle Ages, where it was spelled as "Dafydd" in the Welsh language.
The Davies surname can be traced back to the 13th century in Wales, where it was one of the most common surnames among the Welsh people. The earliest recorded instance of the name is found in the Red Book of Hergest, a 14th-century Welsh manuscript, which mentions a person named "Dafydd ap Gruffudd".
The name Davies is closely associated with the history and culture of Wales. It was particularly prevalent in the counties of Carmarthenshire, Cardiganshire, and Pembrokeshire, where many families bearing this surname have deep roots dating back centuries.
One notable figure with the surname Davies is John Davies (1565-1618), a Welsh poet, lexicographer, and Anglican clergyman. He is best known for his work "Antiquae Linguae Britannicae" (1632), which was one of the earliest dictionaries of the Welsh language.
Another prominent individual is Richard Davies (1501-1581), a Welsh bishop and scholar who played a significant role in the translation of the Bible into Welsh. He was responsible for publishing the first printed book in the Welsh language, which was a translation of the Book of Common Prayer.
In the 18th century, Thomas Davies (1712-1785) was a prominent English actor, bookseller, and writer. He is best known for his work "Memoirs of the Life of David Garrick" (1780), which documented the life of the famous English actor David Garrick.
Samuel Davies (1723-1761) was a prominent American Presbyterian minister and president of the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University). He played a significant role in the Great Awakening, a religious revival movement in the American colonies.
Another notable figure is David Davies (1818-1890), a Welsh industrialist and philanthropist who made his fortune in the coal and iron industries. He was a member of Parliament and was instrumental in the development of the town of Llandinam in Mid Wales.
While the surname Davies is predominantly Welsh in origin, it has spread to other parts of the world through migration and has become a common surname in various English-speaking countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Davies
Among Census respondents with the surname Davies, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Davies 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 Davies surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.4% · 28,661
- Black or African American7.3% · 2,492
- Two or more races3.6% · 1,226
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,123
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 349
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 94
Timeline
Historical Census data for Davies
Davies 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
#1,030
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,753
+1,588 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 11.44
Rank movement Down 42 places
2020
#1,010
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,945
+192 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 11.36
Rank movement Up 20 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #988 | 32,165 | 11.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,030 | 33,753 | 11.44 | +1,588 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 42 places |
| 2020 | #1,010 | 33,945 | 11.36 | +192 bearers (+0.6%) | Up 20 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 Davies 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 | #1,030 | #1,010 | 1.9% |
| Count | 33,753 | 33,945 | 0.6% |
| Per 100K | 11.44 | 11.36 | -0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Davies bearers went from 33,753 to 33,945 (+0.6% change). The surname moved up 20 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,030 to #1,010.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Davies
FAQ
Davies surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Davies?
Name Census estimates that about 38,926 living Americans carry the surname Davies. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,805 residents.
How common is Davies?
Davies ranks #1,010 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 33,945 people with the surname Davies. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (38,926), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Davies.
Has Davies become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Davies went from 33,753 recorded bearers to 33,945. That is an increase of 192 (+0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,030 to #1,010.
What does the Census say about the background of Davies?
Among Census respondents with the surname Davies, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Davies in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.4% (28,661 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Davies appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.4%), Black (7.3%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Davies (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 Davies mean?
A patronymic Welsh surname meaning "son of 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 Davies (11.36 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 Davies?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.