2000
#1,524
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,627
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.02
Uncommon Last name
Davison
From the given name David, meaning "beloved" or "friend," combined with the patronymic suffix -son, indicating "son of David."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,440 Americans carry the last name Davison. That puts it at #1,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,024 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Davison 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 Davison with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,024
Census rank
#1,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,313 bearers of the surname Davison in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Davison, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Davison
The surname Davison originated in Scotland and Northern England in the 13th century. It stems from the name David, which itself comes from the Hebrew name "David" meaning "beloved". The suffix "-son" denotes "son of", thus the name initially referred to the son of someone named David.
Davison is an anglicized form of the Gaelic patronymic "MacDhàibhidh" and the Scottish surname Davidson is an alternative spelling. Early records show the name was prevalent in Aberdeenshire, the Scottish Borders, and Northumberland by the 1300s.
One of the earliest recorded instances is William Dawysoun who appears in the Assize Court Rolls of Northumberland in 1279. The Davison spelling crops up in the 1379 Poll Tax records for Yorkshire. Over time variants like Davysone, Davisoune, and Davidsone were used before standardizing.
Notable Davisons from history include the politician Sir Henry Davison (c.1640-1686) who served as Paymaster General under King Charles II. Alexander Davison (1750-1829) was a prominent merchant and ship owner involved in the Battle of Trafalgar. Explorer Henry Davison Jr. (1771-1810) surveyed areas of Canada's Northwest Territories.
Explorer and author Archibald Davison (1841-1900) chronicled his adventures in the Arctic regions. Ralph Davison (1889-1976) was a US Navy officer who commanded several ships during World War II, receiving the Navy Cross. Lieutenant General Sir Andrew Davison (1921-1996) was a senior British Army officer.
Davison remains a common surname today, particularly in Scotland and Northern England where it has its deepest ancestral roots dating back over 700 years to the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Davison
Among Census respondents with the surname Davison, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Davison 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 Davison surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.9% · 16,396
- Black or African American13.8% · 2,931
- Two or more races4.1% · 870
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 786
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 176
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 154
Timeline
Historical Census data for Davison
Davison 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
#1,617
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,276
+649 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 7.55
Rank movement Down 93 places
2020
#1,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,313
-963 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 7.13
Rank movement Down 22 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,524 | 21,627 | 8.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,617 | 22,276 | 7.55 | +649 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 93 places |
| 2020 | #1,639 | 21,313 | 7.13 | -963 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 22 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 Davison 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 | #1,617 | #1,639 | -1.4% |
| Count | 22,276 | 21,313 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 7.55 | 7.13 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Davison bearers went from 22,276 to 21,313 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 22 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,617 to #1,639.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Davison
FAQ
Davison surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Davison?
Name Census estimates that about 24,440 living Americans carry the surname Davison. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,024 residents.
How common is Davison?
Davison ranks #1,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,313 people with the surname Davison. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,440), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Davison.
Has Davison become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Davison went from 22,276 recorded bearers to 21,313. That is a decrease of 963 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,617 to #1,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Davison?
Among Census respondents with the surname Davison, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) 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 Davison in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.9% (16,396 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Davison appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.9%), Black (13.8%), 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 Davison (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 Davison mean?
From the given name David, meaning "beloved" or "friend," combined with the patronymic suffix -son, indicating "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 Davison (7.13 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 Davison?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.