BBB - A+ Rating - the best there is
An excerpt from www.HouseOfNames.com archives copyright © 2000 - 2014
Origins Available: French, Irish, Jewish, Welsh
Where did the Welsh Davis family come from? When did the Davis family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the Davis family history?The Welsh Davis surname is a patronymic, meaning son of David. Ultimately derived from the Hebrew name "David," meaning "beloved," the name became a popular given name throughout Medieval Europe due to the biblical king David of Israel. The popularity of the name was further increased in Britain due to it being the name of the Patron Saint of Wales. Little is known about Saint David, but he is thought to have been a 6th century monk and bishop. The name came to be used as a patronymic name by the Brythonic people of Wales. One of the most famous bearers of this personal name in Wales was David ap Gryffydd, the last Prince of North Wales, who was executed c. 1276 by King Edward I of England.
Welsh surnames are relatively few in number, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. There are many factors that explain the preponderance of Welsh variants, but the earliest is found during the Middle Ages when Welsh surnames came into use. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, which often resulted in a single person's name being inconsistently recorded over his lifetime. The transliteration of Welsh names into English also accounts for many of the spelling variations: the unique Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh had many sounds the English language was incapable of accurately reproducing. It was also common for members of a same surname to change their names slightly, in order to signify a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations. For all of these reasons, the many spelling variations of particular Welsh names are very important. The surname Davis has occasionally been spelled Davies, Davis, Divis and others.
First found in Flintshire (Welsh: Sir y Fflint), a historic county, created after the defeat of the Welsh Kingdom of Gwynedd in 1284, and located in north-east Wales, where the Davis family held a family seat from very ancient times. They were descended from Cynrig Efell, Lord of Eglwysegle, the twin son of Madog ab Maredadd, the great grandson of Bleddyn ap Cynvin, Prince of Powys, head of the honorable and worthy third Royal Tribe of Wales, who was traitorously murdered in 1073 by the men of Ystrad Tywi, after he had governed all Wales for 13 years. Directly descended from this line was John ap Davydd (John Davies of Gwasanau in the county of Flint).
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Davis research. Another 129 words(9 lines of text) covering the years 1550, 1605, 1605, 1675, 1667, 1675, 1680, 1688, 1680, 1625, 1693, 1692, 1715, 1667, 1739, 1690, 1719, 1718, 1719, 1600, 1672, 1633, 1687, 1646, 1689, 1670, 1716, 1667, 1739 and are included under the topic Early Davis History in all our PDF Extended History products.
Another 307 words(22 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Davis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products.
Some of the Davis family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Another 389 words(28 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many people from Wales joined the general migration to North America in search of land, work, and freedom. These immigrants greatly contributed to the rapid development of the new nations of Canada and the United States. They also added a rich and lasting cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. Investigation of immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Davis:
Davis Settlers in the United States in the 17th Century
Davis Settlers in the United States in the 18th Century
Davis Settlers in the United States in the 19th Century
Davis Settlers in the United States in the 20th Century
This page was last modified on 2 September 2014 at 14:43.
houseofnames.com is an internet property owned by Swyrich Corporation.