David Name Meaning

From the origin dod, David is a religious powerhouse of a name meaning “beloved” or “beloved uncle.” His use spans millennia and he continues to be a popular choice today.

David is a chameleon of a name, effortlessly crossing cultural boundaries and working well in other languages. He’s been featured in works of art and literature alike, as well as bestowed upon kings, actors, authors, and more.

A biblical name, many are familiar with the story of David and Goliath, the first true underdog story of a boy winning a battle against a literal giant. He would later go on to lead as the king of Israel. There have been several Saint Davids too in the Catholic Church. He’s also a strong figure in Judaism, prominently featured in the name of their holy symbol, the Star of David.

David ages well and remains a strong choice for a boy name. While he is ancient in origin, he’s avoided feeling dated, remaining a classic option for parents.

David has the tried and true nickname as Dave as well as the more youthful Davey. He also has variants in Davi and Daveth around the world. Female versions of the name include Davina, Davinia, and Davida.

Infographic of David name meaning, which is A Hebrew name from the origin dod, David means beloved or beloved uncle.
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David Name Popularity

How popular is the name David? Here’s everything we know.

Year Rank # Births % Births
1910 30 1,243 0.353%
1911 27 1,535 0.4122%
1912 29 2,851 0.5653%
1913 29 3,278 0.5782%
1914 29 4,251 0.61%
1915 31 5,393 0.5936%
1916 28 5,808 0.6012%
1917 28 6,100 0.6097%
1918 28 6,626 0.6174%
1919 27 6,714 0.6412%
1920 25 7,445 0.6696%
1921 25 7,765 0.6781%
1922 24 7,861 0.7056%
1923 24 8,233 0.7351%
1924 24 8,754 0.7538%
1925 22 8,917 0.7889%
1926 22 9,036 0.8215%
1927 21 9,424 0.8514%
1928 19 9,998 0.9344%
1929 17 11,300 1.0909%
1930 15 12,272 1.1748%
1931 13 11,778 1.1933%
1932 12 12,138 1.2286%
1933 13 12,021 1.2903%
1934 12 13,999 1.4481%
1935 11 15,662 1.6117%
1936 10 17,478 1.8144%
1937 8 20,973 2.1284%
1938 8 22,992 2.2459%
1939 7 25,361 2.4932%
1940 7 27,684 2.6046%
1941 7 30,552 2.7145%
1942 6 35,891 2.8423%
1943 6 37,236 2.8523%
1944 6 37,377 3.0158%
1945 6 37,094 3.0416%
1946 6 46,437 3.1471%
1947 6 57,804 3.4629%
1948 5 56,616 3.5466%
1949 6 59,602 3.7051%
1950 5 60,730 3.7718%
1951 5 64,801 3.822%
1952 5 71,778 4.112%
1953 5 76,096 4.2996%
1954 5 79,532 4.3507%
1955 2 86,251 4.6891%
1956 4 81,596 4.3202%
1957 3 82,358 4.2799%
1958 2 82,584 4.3697%
1959 2 83,926 4.4173%
1960 1 85,928 4.5351%
1961 2 84,762 4.4897%
1962 2 81,320 4.4295%
1963 3 78,474 4.3717%
1964 3 75,056 4.264%
1965 3 67,861 4.1497%
1966 2 66,419 4.254%
1967 2 66,808 4.4023%
1968 2 63,725 4.2439%
1969 2 63,703 4.135%
1970 3 61,753 3.8804%
1971 3 53,121 3.5351%
1972 4 46,371 3.4046%
1973 5 41,106 3.1707%
1974 4 41,811 3.2169%
1975 5 39,172 3.0484%
1976 4 39,299 3.0492%
1977 4 40,541 3.0076%
1978 4 40,704 3.0276%
1979 4 42,077 2.9841%
1980 4 41,923 2.8672%
1981 5 40,659 2.766%
1982 5 40,451 2.7069%
1983 4 39,201 2.6565%
1984 5 38,481 2.5868%
1985 6 38,513 2.5374%
1986 5 37,139 2.4604%
1987 5 36,781 2.4103%
1988 6 35,313 2.266%
1989 5 35,216 2.1823%
1990 6 33,742 2.0358%
1991 8 30,415 1.866%
1992 10 28,409 1.7798%
1993 11 27,026 1.7335%
1994 13 24,868 1.6204%
1995 16 23,034 1.5283%
1996 13 23,013 1.537%
1997 14 21,882 1.4795%
1998 13 20,881 1.3951%
1999 16 20,331 1.3576%
2000 16 19,767 1.294%
2001 12 19,342 1.2837%
2002 13 18,671 1.2459%
2003 14 18,612 1.2234%
2004 14 18,385 1.2062%
2005 13 18,114 1.1847%
2006 13 17,627 1.1257%
2007 12 17,537 1.1115%
2008 14 16,318 1.0558%
2009 14 15,433 1.0326%
2010 15 14,196 0.9851%
2011 18 13,222 0.928%
2012 20 12,530 0.8793%
2013 18 12,348 0.8673%
2014 18 12,195 0.837%
2015 18 11,781 0.8097%
2016 19 11,089 0.7691%
2017 23 10,124 0.7254%
2018 22 9,697 0.7058%
2019 27 8,896 0.6571%
2020 28 8,067 0.6338%
2021 30 7,843 0.6416%
2022 29 7,676 0.5818%

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Data via SSA.gov.


Names Like David

If you like David, you’ll love these other names like David.


What names are diminutives of David?

A diminutive is a name that’s like David sounds, you might also like these names that sound like David, but shorter.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Daffy

Beloved

Hebrew

Dai

Large; to shine

Welsh

Dave

Beloved; son of David

Hebrew

Daveigh

Diminutive form of David

American

Davey

Beloved

Hebrew

Davi

Beloved

Hebrew

Davie

Beloved

Hebrew

Davy

Beloved; son of David

Hebrew


What names are variants of David?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name David.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Daffyd

Beloved

Hebrew

Dafydd

Beloved

Hebrew

Daven

Beloved

Hebrew

Daveney

Beloved

English

Davian

Beloved

American

Davidde

Beloved

Hebrew

Davide

Beloved

Hebrew

Davidson

Beloved; son of David

Hebrew

Daviel

Beloved

Hebrew

Davies

Beloved; son of David

Hebrew

Davin

Beloved

Welsh

Davis

Son of David

English

Davon

American

Davyd

Beloved

Hebrew

Davydd

Beloved

Hebrew

Davyn

Welsh


What names sound like David?

If you like how David sounds, you might also like these names that sound like David.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Arvid

Eagle tree

Scandinavian

Daivat

Power, strength

Indian (Sanskrit)

Hamid

Praiseworthy

Arabic

Navid

Best wishes

Persian

Ovid

“A sheep herder,” from the Latin ovis, sheep.

Latin

Yadid

Beloved

Hebrew

Yazid

Becoming greater

African


What names are similar to David?

Find a name that’s like David, but just a little bit different.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Aaron

High mountain

Hebrew

Abraham

Father of nations

Hebrew

Adam

Man

Hebrew

Benjamin

A favorite son

Hebrew

Caleb

Whole heart

Hebrew

Cohen

Priest

Hebrew

Daniel

God is My Judge

Hebrew

Eli

Ascension

Hebrew

Gabriel

God is my strength

Hebrew

Samuel

Name of God

Hebrew


Lists With David

Find inspiration in these baby boy name lists featuring the name David.


Siblings of David

Mamas with kids named David also have kids with these names.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Caleb

Whole heart

Hebrew

Chloe

Green sprout

Greek

Marea

A variant form of Marina.

Jensen

Son of Jens

Scandinavian

Morgan

Circling sea

Welsh

James

Supplanter

English

Noah

To rest

Hebrew

Aliya

Rising, ascending

Hebrew

Kylie

Boomerang

Aboriginal

Ryann

King

Irish

Ezra

Help

Hebrew

Isabella

Devoted to God

Italian

Brielle

God is my strength

French

Hallie

A variant spelling of Hally.

Scandinavian

Charlie

Free man

English

Josef

Jehovah increases

Hebrew

Taylor

Tailor; to cut

French

Reece

Enthusiasm

Welsh

Grace

Gracious one

English

Faith

Devotion

English

Elizabeth

God is my oath

Hebrew

William

A willing protector

German

Marie

A French form of Mary.

French

Joy

Happiness

Latin

Jordyn

To descend

Hebrew

Jubilee

Ram's horn

Hebrew

Robert

Bright fame

German

Kara

A short form of Karen.

Latin

Jeanie

God is gracious

Hebrew

Alyson

Noble, exalted

German

Harley

Hare meadow

English

Vincent

Conquer

Latin

Benedict

Blessed

Latin

Eric

Everlasting ruler

Scandinavian

Selena

Moon

Spanish

Ilana

Tree

Hebrew

Jeriah

Taught by God

Hebrew

Tabitha

Gazelle

Aramaic

Daniel

God is My Judge

Hebrew

56 Comments

  1. David in the bible was a king and also a warrior.

  2. My husband’s Dad’s name was David and he died suddenly the month before I became pregnant. My husband told me (before we knew I was pregnant) that if we have a son one day, he wanted to name him after his dad. I had no problem with that because David is a fine biblical name. We are Christians and I was happy about the name. My husband’s name is Peter, my name is Sarah, and now we have our baby boy David 🙂 I think it’s just perfect how all of our names are biblical, reflect who we are, and ironically each have five letters. I also think it’s really special that he is named after his grandfather who passed away just a month before he was conceived and he was born the same month his grandfather was born too! So everything I’m the world is so special about David’s name 🙂

  3. David is my 3rd baby born at 37 weeks due to placentaprevia. Delivered C-section he weighted 6’7 and 19 inch long. This was my first C-section

    • Love and Blessings my name is David too , In this Chaotic World there are more than One King ruling the Stars

  4. Our David is definitely beloved of many people! We love that David in the Bible is said to be a man after God’s heart and pray that that will be the case for our son.

  5. David is a warrior and God gave him to me as a reminder that am not a loser but a warrior.Amen

    • Always, yes. His oneness with God showed us strength, that should always be able to protect the poor or needy, men woman and children before Christ. Giving tears of Joy, for genuine thoughts, words, acts of kindness. To know such a man, will melt your heart, even if one heart feels dry as dust, or hardened, he cared to find meaning. David understands truth wherever existent. Remembering we fight for Love and give love to what Jesus sees as a faithful example, focused on the truth, even if its everyone else is lost.

  6. Family name! I like how classic it is, but wish there was a good nickname to fit a baby

  7. My husband proposed this name and I liked it too. It means “beloved” and David was a great Biblical character: a musician, poet, warrior, king, and best of all, a man after God’s own heart.

  8. Family and Biblical name.
    It is very common but oh well.

  9. My mother was reading through Psalms when she chose my name. We now have two David Jr.’s and Sr.’s in our family. I love the name, and I’m grateful it is mine, my son’s, our grandson’s, and our son-in-law’s. However, I find it difficult to live up to the name in Biblical terms as we strive to. It means “beloved of God,” which is the most essential factor in our lives, to love God and BE LOVED BY GOD.

  10. My husband and his father’s name

  11. I love this name for my son

  12. King David from biblical times is an epic person. His humility and trust on the lord made him fearless. Musician, soldier, friend, king. He asked for forgiveness when he betrayed the Lord and continued to serve Him. I love the image of David dancing before the Ark. He was passionate. To be honest I don’t really like the sound of the name but who it brings to mind As a mentor for our son made it our choice.

  13. His name is David Elijah, Originally we were just going to name him Elijah, But once he was born my husband really felt strongly to name him David Elijah. David and The Bible was a man after God’s heart In Elijah was my favorite prophet I’m not like the meaning of both the names

  14. It was a god-given name.

  15. David is a family name! Our baby will be David III and we thought that was so special.

  16. We are a Romanian/Chinese family so we wanted a short, simple and also biblical name that both our families can pronounce

  17. David

    • are u David D I am mira

      • David greatest name in plant David man after God own heart All David be proud of your name important in life David is hero warrior musician poem great man

  18. He is David Jr. after his Dad:)

  19. My husband loved the name first and the David was a man after God’s heart in the bible.so I want my son to love God and be God’s beloved.

  20. Chose it because it’s his dads name

  21. It sounds good in both English and Spanish, and has a nice meaning (“beloved”).

  22. My husband and I wanted our son to have a strong, recognizable name that was not currently “trendy.” We spent a lot of time saying baby boy names out loud with our last name trying to hear what felt right, and we just kept coming back to David!

  23. Honestly I’ve thought of many names for my son but it meant so much to my husband that we name him David Brian after his uncle because my husbands uncle means the world to him and his uncle married us and was there when we were going through tough times with my 4 year old and his uncle has been a blessing in all of our lives and the more I thought about the name the more happy I got and to hear and see the reaction when we told my husband’s uncle that we were naming our son after him I was happy with the name

  24. It means Beloved… David is one of my favorite lovers of God in the Bible. He was courageous, He was a psalmist, and musician. He was a Shepherd, and a man after Gods heart! He had faith that took down the greatest giant of His time, when everyone else was petrified in fear. He also was anointed by God to become king.

  25. I love this name because it has a beautiful meaning and it is biblical.

  26. *

  27. He was named after both of his grandfathers.

  28. My elder son chose this name for his little brother. He was very persistent and also prayed for his baby brother by name for two months before he was born. So my husband and I couldn’t object. The big brother was super happy and loves David so much.

  29. We chose this name because it is a strong family name and a biblical name. Also, I was a public school teacher for many years and I never had a David in class that I didn’t like! I cannot say the same about other names!

  30. I named him David because his father grandfather and great grandfather are all named David. We just chose a different middle name.I love his name. But because they all have the same first name, we are calling him by his middle name.

  31. We wanted a Bible name and both of us like the name David. Plus the meaning is “beloved” and after having 2 miscarriages before this, we thought it appropriate.

  32. Named after my father and stepfather

  33. We named him after his dad. He is the first son in the family after 7 girls.

  34. My husband chose the name David and when i had my son in my arms for the first time I fell in love with him

  35. We wanted a classic, simple, not too biblical but still significant name. And most of all we wanted our little guy to have an easy name to spell and pronounce (for him and others) through his life.

  36. Means beloved. We named him in honor of my husband’s grandfather.

  37. Thnx God for his secure arrival.

  38. I do not like common names or weird names so I wanted an older name. My first son is named Thomas and when it came to the second David just seemed to fit. I love that both of them are biblical and that they each have a middle name after their grandfathers. When I searched the name David the meaning is beloved.

  39. I love the name David. My 4 year old name is David
    Hes a sweet heart and loves his mommy. (Me)

  40. He’s named after his dad and grandpa

  41. I wanted to name my son Emmanuel which means (God with us) but my husband didn’t like it he wanted to name him David which means (beloved) wasn’t really a fan of the name but it fits him well, I gave a chance for my husband to name him because I named my other son Daniel (God is my judge) which he wasn’t a fan of the name but I sure liked it.

  42. I choose the name to honor my father

  43. I wanted a bible name,and a name no one we knew had personally

  44. I chose David because it’s his great grandfather’s name that David’s father held to high regard.

    I don’t have any dislike towards the name

    David is my first and he is the sweetest, funniest, and cutest baby I think I’ve ever seen

  45. I named my baby after my Grandpa. He is no longer with us and is our tradition to name our children after our deceased ancestors. I have a nephew David as well. He is called Davey for now but it will probably be David once he is older.

  46. My husband and I have decided to name our boys after prophets from the Bible. This may seem like an odd choice in that category, but King David wrote several Psalms prophesying about Jesus. This name is also a tribute to one of my husband’s college roommates who was a groomsman in our wedding and remains a dear friend. Finally, we intend to use the Fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23 as a guide in our name search for each one. The first quality on the list is Love. David is our firstborn and his name means “Beloved.”
    I love that this name is familiar, but rare in this generation which makes it both normal and special.

  47. David is our sons middle name. Named after a great-grandfather

  48. David is my husbands first name, named after both of his grandfathers. Our first born is named after my husband, but we chose II instead of Jr.

  49. This was a no brainer for us. We used it as a middle name so that our son would be named after both his dad and his grandfather. We almost lost his grandfather to a stroke shortly after we found out we were expecting so we knew right away we wanted to use it. It is very common, but it’s classic. We paired it with the first name “Jensen.” A unique name with a classic name.

  50. David is such a classic name. We want all of our children to have names that are spelled the same in English and Spanish, and David fits that important criteria. It’s also a family name. I actually really adore his name. My son has so much spunk, he needed a grand name like David. It’s also more old-school and is not as common anymore.

  51. We were looking for a timeless, classic name, and it had to be English-Spanish bilingual. My husband also prefers shorter names, and I wanted a biblical name. We both like the biblical story of David, it’s short, and it works in so many languages. We also wanted a name that would be more likely to remain “whole”. In Spanish, David doesn’t usually get shortened.


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