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Davis is a surname of English and Welsh origin. As an English surname it may be a corruption of Davy or a reference to King David in the Old Testament. As a Welsh surname may be a corruption of Dyfed, related to Irish colonists who occupied an area of southwest Wales in the late third century and established a dynasty there which lasted five centuries. Dyfed is recorded as a surname as late as the twelfth century, e.g. Gwynfard Dyfed, born 1175. Dafydd (generally translated into English as David) appears as a given name in the thirteenth century, e.g. Dafydd ap Gruffydd (1238–1283), Prince of Wales, and Dafydd ab Edmwnd (fl. c. 1450–1497), a Welsh poet. Alternatively, Davis may be a patronymic surname (son of David).[2]
Davis is the 45th most common surname in England and 68th most common in Wales.[3][1] According to the 2000 United States census, it is the seventh most frequently reported surname, accounting for 0.48% of the population, preceding Garcia and following Miller.[4] It was the seventh most common surname in the United States in 2014.[1] It is also recorded in the spellings of Davies, Davison and several others.[5]
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