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Given name & surname

David

“Beloved”·“darling”

David has a central place in biblical tradition and later Welsh and Scottish history, with a traditional meaning of “beloved.”

Original Hebrewדוד

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Meaning & origin

What it means

“Beloved” or “darling” is a traditional interpretation. The original linguistic explanation is less certain than that familiar meaning may suggest.

Where it comes from

David is a Hebrew biblical name, although its precise Hebrew derivation remains uncertain.

How it developed

One explanation connects David with a Hebrew nursery word meaning “darling.” This remains a proposed derivation rather than an established breakdown into separate elements.

The story

The biblical David is remembered as the young challenger of Goliath and later king of Israel. In Britain, the patron saint of Wales and two medieval Scottish kings gave the name further local associations.

In the Bible

In the Bible, the name David appears in 1 Samuel 16:10-13, 1 Chronicles 2:15, Matthew 1:20 and 8 other passages.

  • 1 Samuel 16:10-13
  • 1 Chronicles 2:15
  • Matthew 1:20
  • Mark 10:47
  • Revelation 5:5
  • Mark 11:10
  • Luke 1:32
  • Acts 15:16
  • Revelation 3:7
  • Psalm 95:7
  • Hebrews 4:7

From biblical name research

David through the years

Babies since 1880
3,689,613
3,676,654 boys · 12,959 girls
Most popular year
1955
86,454 babies
2025
6,801
#35 for boys · #12,214 for girls
2021–25 vs 2016–20
−23%
Easing
020K40K60K18801900192019401960198020002025Highest share 19553,978
David in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1880–2025, per million boys born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

Where it’s given

Most at home inDelaware, New York, Nebraska
FewerMore, relative to births Not published
2025 births by state of birth. Tiles are equal-sized so small states stay visible. Highest rates: Delaware (20), New York (595), Nebraska (54), New Mexico (37), North Dakota (20).

By the numbers

In 2025, this name appeared in 6,794 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 35 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 22.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 86,306 in 1955. It also appeared in 7 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (815). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,813,017 as a first name in 2020; 45,954 as a surname in 2020.

From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.

David’s family of names

In English usage, David has a diminutive in Dave. In English usage, David has a feminine form in Davina. In English usage, David has a related form in Davis.

Walk David’s family in the name graph

DavidDaviedДавидДавідΝτέηβιντΝτάβιντДейвидデビッドดาบิดDawsonDaveDavisDovidDavionDaviDavonDavinDavieDaveyDavyDavenDavideDavielDavinaDavianDawudDavitTaviKawikaDaudDaoudDeividDawidDewiDavudDaveedDaudiDabidTaaviDaudaDeividasDavutDevidDavoudTaaffeDaibhidhDavido

Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Around the world

David has relatives in 67 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.

HawaiianEnglishFinnishGreekHebrewUyghurBengaliChineseJapanese

Hebrewwhere David comes from · 1 name

Each dot marks where a language is rooted, not where people with the name live today. Bigger dots hold more names. Dots on the border stand for languages further away. Language locations from Glottolog (CC BY 4.0); map from Natural Earth.

Nicknames & forms 39

Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.

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Spellings & scripts 8

The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.

Across languages 109

Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.

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And 49 more.

See also 17

Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.

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People named David

Characters named David: Solid Snake (the Metal Gear series), David Palmer (the television series 24), Black Manta (fictional human), David of Sassoun (Hero from the epic poem "Daredevils of Sassoun").

Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.

Appears in

Similar names

If you love David, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

Hebrew · Celtic

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“supplanter” · “heel grabber”

94Very commonEasing

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Peter

“as solid and strong as a rock”

73CommonSteady

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Aramaic · Victorian era

Thomas

“twin”

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Hebrew · Biblical

Michael

“who is like God?”

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Joseph

“God shall add”

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English · Biblical

Dan

“he judged”

38RareSteady

97% boys · 3% girls

Hebrew · Royal

Nathan

“he has given” · “God has given”

84CommonEasing

>99% boys

Sibling ideas

Names that share David’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

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A sister for David