Davies

Davies is a patronymic Welsh surname. There are two main theories concerning its origin, neither of which has been definitively proven. The first theory contends that it may be a corruption of Dyfed, the name of a medieval Welsh kingdom centred on modern Pembrokeshire.[lower-alpha 1] "Dyfed" as a surname and the related first name "Dafydd" appear from the 12th century, with the latter generally translated into English as "David". The second theory states that it may derive directly from the Hebrew name "David", which is also the name of Wales' patron saint.[3]

This article is about the surname. For the crater, see Davies (crater).
Davies
Language(s)Welsh, potentially via Hebrew
Origin
Region of originWales
Other names
Variant form(s)

The surname is the second most common in Wales and the eighth most common in England, where a large percentage of people have Welsh ancestry.[4] It is particularly widespread in southwest England, especially Cornwall, and in northwest England, large parts of which are on the border with Wales.[4] It is uncommon in the United States, where the variant "Davis" is seen more.[5] In the United Kingdom, the surname is most commonly pronounced the same as "Davis" (DAY-vis). This pronunciation is also used by many outside the UK, though it sometimes competes with DAY-veez, which is particularly common in the US to distinguish it from "Davis".

List of people with the surname

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

V

W

Z

See also

Notes
  1. The origin of the name of the kingdom is itself disputed, with the traditional account being that it was founded by the Déisi in the third century, a powerful Irish dynasty,[1] or otherwise that it derives from the name of the Celtic people of the area, the Demetae.[2]

References
  1. 'The Celts', TGE Powell, Thames & Hudson, 1958
  2. Charles-Edwards, Thomas (2013). Wales and the Britons, 350–1064. OUP Oxford. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-19-821731-2.
  3. "Surname Database: Davies Last Name Origin". surnamedb.com.
  4. "Davies Surname Meaning and Distribution". forebears.co.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2014
  5. "Davis Surname Meaning and Distribution". forebears.co.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2014
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