2000
#10,615
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,770
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Davisson
Anglicized form of the French surname David, meaning "beloved" or "friend," derived from the Hebrew name David.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,033 Americans carry the last name Davisson. That puts it at #11,398 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,008 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Davisson 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.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 113,008
Census rank
#11,398
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,645 bearers of the surname Davisson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11398th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Davisson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Davisson
The surname Davisson is of Scottish origin, deriving from the personal name David and the diminutive suffix "-son", meaning "son of David". It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, between the 11th and 16th centuries, when the use of hereditary surnames became widespread in Scotland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Davisson can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented homages sworn to King Edward I of England by Scottish nobles and landowners. The name is likely to have originated in the Scottish Lowlands, where the majority of the population adopted surnames earlier than in the Highlands.
Variations in spelling were common during the medieval period, and the name Davisson may have been recorded as Davisone, Daveson, or Davison in historical documents. These variations reflect the different ways the name was pronounced and transcribed by scribes.
The name is also associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Daviston in Aberdeenshire and Davidston in Ayrshire, which may have influenced the surname's development.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Davisson include:
1. John Davisson (c. 1570 - c. 1640), a Scottish clergyman and author who served as the minister of Libberton Parish Church in Lanarkshire.
2. William Davisson (1593 - 1669), a Scottish philosopher and educator who taught at the University of Aberdeen in the 17th century.
3. Margaret Davisson (c. 1650 - 1715), a Scottish woman accused of witchcraft during the infamous Salem Witch Trials in colonial Massachusetts.
4. Robert Davisson (1714 - 1789), a Scottish-born surveyor and explorer who played a significant role in mapping the American frontier in the late 18th century.
5. James Davisson (1809 - 1876), a Scottish-American inventor and engineer who contributed to the development of early locomotive technologies.
The surname Davisson has a rich history rooted in Scottish heritage, with its origins dating back to the Middle Ages. While variations in spelling existed, the name has maintained its connection to the personal name David and its associated place names throughout its evolution.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Davisson
Among Census respondents with the surname Davisson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Davisson 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 Davisson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 2,461
- Two or more races3.1% · 83
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 58
- Black or African American0.7% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Davisson
Davisson 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
#11,529
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,728
-42 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 914 places
2020
#11,398
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,645
-83 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Up 131 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,615 | 2,770 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,529 | 2,728 | 0.92 | -42 bearers (-1.5%) | Down 914 places |
| 2020 | #11,398 | 2,645 | 0.88 | -83 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 131 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 Davisson 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 | #11,529 | #11,398 | 1.1% |
| Count | 2,728 | 2,645 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.88 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Davisson bearers went from 2,728 to 2,645 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 131 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,529 to #11,398.
FAQ
Davisson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Davisson?
Name Census estimates that about 3,033 living Americans carry the surname Davisson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,008 residents.
How common is Davisson?
Davisson ranks #11,398 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,645 people with the surname Davisson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,033), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Davisson.
Has Davisson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Davisson went from 2,728 recorded bearers to 2,645. That is a decrease of 83 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,529 to #11,398.
What does the Census say about the background of Davisson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Davisson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Davisson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (2,461 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Davisson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Davisson (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 Davisson mean?
Anglicized form of the French surname David, meaning "beloved" or "friend," derived from the Hebrew name 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 Davisson (0.88 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 common is the surname Davisson?
See how many people have the surname Davisson on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.