Davis
Select
Davis/Davies Surname Genealogy
John Davies of Hereford, a contemporary of Shakespeare, was a writing master and a notable Anglo-Welsh poet of his time.
Robertson Davies was one of Canada's most well-known and popular novelists.
Miles Davis, a trumpeter, is one of the great names of jazz.
Select Davis/Davies Today
Davis is a patronymic name meaning
"son of
David," which has been particularly popular in
Wales where St. David, the 6th century of Menevia, is the patron
saint. David
is spelt Dayfdd in Welsh and means well-beloved. Davies, because
of the Welsh influence,
predominates over Davis in the UK today. But in America it is the
other way round.
Davies developed as a surname in Cornwall and in the border counties with Wales where the Welsh influence and language was strong. Surnames there predated those in Wales where the old Welsh patronymic style held sway until the 16th century.
Wales. Early Davies sightings were in north Wales. John ap Davies of Gwysaney, from a family of ancient pedigree, was the first in his family to adopt the Davies name - sometime in the mid 1500's. Their family base at Llanerch Park stayed with them into the 19th century. William Davies from Denbighshire in north Wales was a Catholic priest executed for his beliefs in 1593. Dr. John Davies, the rector at Mallwyd in Gwynedd in the early 1600's, was one of the leading Welsh scholars of his day.
The Davies population - as with much of the Welsh population - moved south during the 19th century and is now more to be found in Glamorgan and surrounding counties. David Davies, born in humble circumstances in Llandinam in Montgomeryshire, became a coal magnate and was an important figure in the industrialization of the Rhondda valley in south Wales in the late 19th century.
America. The early Davises in America could be of English, Welsh, or even possibly of Scottish or Irish origin. James Davis from Wiltshire in England was one of the founders of the town of Haverhill in Massachusetts in 1646.
Welsh Davies in America invariably became Davis. Among the early arrivals were:
Select
Davis/Davies Resources on
The
Internet
- Davies Family History Website. Davies family history database.
- Davis Family Association. Davis genealogy.
- Davis Family History. Davis history.
- Davies/Davis Project Website. Davies/Davis DNA.
Davies developed as a surname in Cornwall and in the border counties with Wales where the Welsh influence and language was strong. Surnames there predated those in Wales where the old Welsh patronymic style held sway until the 16th century.
Wales. Early Davies sightings were in north Wales. John ap Davies of Gwysaney, from a family of ancient pedigree, was the first in his family to adopt the Davies name - sometime in the mid 1500's. Their family base at Llanerch Park stayed with them into the 19th century. William Davies from Denbighshire in north Wales was a Catholic priest executed for his beliefs in 1593. Dr. John Davies, the rector at Mallwyd in Gwynedd in the early 1600's, was one of the leading Welsh scholars of his day.
The Davies population - as with much of the Welsh population - moved south during the 19th century and is now more to be found in Glamorgan and surrounding counties. David Davies, born in humble circumstances in Llandinam in Montgomeryshire, became a coal magnate and was an important figure in the industrialization of the Rhondda valley in south Wales in the late 19th century.
America. The early Davises in America could be of English, Welsh, or even possibly of Scottish or Irish origin. James Davis from Wiltshire in England was one of the founders of the town of Haverhill in Massachusetts in 1646.
Welsh Davies in America invariably became Davis. Among the early arrivals were:
- William Davis, who came in 1635 and settled in Roxbury, Massachusetts
- Thomas Davis, who arrived in the 1690's and was the forebear of the Davises of Anne Arundel and Howard counties in Maryland
- and Evan Davis, who came to Philadelphia in the 1720's. A descendant was the Confederate leader Jefferson Davis.
John Davies of Hereford, a contemporary of Shakespeare, was a writing master and a notable Anglo-Welsh poet of his time.
Jefferson
Davis was the President
of
the Confederate States of America during the Civil War.
David Davies was a coal magnate and an important figure in the industrialization of the Rhondda valley in south Wales in the late 19th century.
Bette Davis was the acclaimed American actress in the 1930's and 1940's.
Sammy Davis Jr was a popular
dancer, singer, and entertainer, one of the 1960's Rat Pack. David Davies was a coal magnate and an important figure in the industrialization of the Rhondda valley in south Wales in the late 19th century.
Bette Davis was the acclaimed American actress in the 1930's and 1940's.
Robertson Davies was one of Canada's most well-known and popular novelists.
Miles Davis, a trumpeter, is one of the great names of jazz.
Select Davis/Davies Today
- 317,000 in the UK (most numerous in Cardiff)
- 332,000 in America (most numerous in Texas)
- 133,000 elsewhere (most numerous in Australia)
Select Surname List
For other surnames check the companion selectsurname.com site where there are to be found the history and genealogy for more than 500 surnames.
Return to Main Page