Davies

Davies
Language(s)	Welsh
Origin
Region of origin	Wales
Other names
Variant form(s)	Davis; Davey; Day; Davison;

Davies is a patronymic surname of Welsh origin. There are two main theories concerning its beginnings, neither of which has been definitively proved. The first theory states that it may be a corruption of "Dyfed", the name of a medieval Welsh kingdom located in what is now Carmarthenshire; however, the origin of the kingdom's name is itself disputed, with the traditional belief being that it was founded by the powerful Irish Déisi dynasty in the third century,^[1] or otherwise that it derives from the name of the Demetae people.^[2] "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 contends that the surname may derive directly from the Hebrew name "David", which is also the name of Wales' patron saint.^[3]

The surname is the joint-second most common in Wales (tied with Williams) 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 usually pronounced the same as "Davis" (DAY-vis). This pronunciation is also used by many other English-speaking countries, though it sometimes competes with DAY-veez, which is particularly common in the United States to distinguish it from "Davis".^{[citation needed]}

Notable people with the surname

A

Aaron Michael Davies (born 1984), American actor
Adam Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
A. Donald Davies, American Episcopal bishop
Adrian Davies (rugby player), Welsh rugby footballer
Adrienne Davies, American musician
Alan Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Alec Davies, Scottish cricketer
Alex Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Alexandra Davies (born 1977), English-born Australian actress
Alice Davies (1870 – after 1919), British suffragette and nurse
Alphonso Davies (born 2000), Ghanaian-born Canadian soccer player
Alfred Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Alun Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Amanda Davies (geographer), Australian geographer
Andrew Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Anne Davies (disambiguation), or Ann Davies, multiple people
Anthony Davies, Welsh snooker player
Antony Davies, American economist
Arthur Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Ashley Slanina-Davies, English actress

B

Barbara Davies, English teacher and activist
Barry Davies, English sports commentator
Benjamin Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Bevan Davies, American drummer
Billie Davies, American drummer
Billy Davies, Scottish football manager
Bob Davies, American basketball player
Brandon Davies, American basketball player
Brenda Davies (1917–2013), wife and literary executor of Robertson Davies
Brian Davies, philosopher
Brian Davies, birth name of British illustrator and cartoonist Michael ffolkes
Bryan Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Bryn Davies, British trade unionist and politician

C

Caitlin Davies, English writer
Callum Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Carrie Davies, British broadcaster
Charles Lynn Davies, Wales rugby player
Charlie Davies, American footballer
Chris Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Christopher Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Clara Novello Davies, Welsh singer, mother of Ivor Novello
Clement Davies, British politician
Clement L. Davies, Canadian Christian minister and Ku Klux Klan supporter
Cliff Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Cooke Davies, Canadian politician
Curtis Davies, English footballer
Cyril Davies, English musician

D

Dai Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Dan Davies (writer) (born 1970), British journalist
Dangerous Davies, fictional character from The Last Detective
Dave Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
David Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Deddie Davies (1938–2016), Welsh character actress
Denys Johnson-Davies, Canadian translator
Denzil Davies, British politician
Diana Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Dick Davies (1936–2012), American Olympic basketball player
Dickie Davies (1928–2023), English television presenter
Domenick Davies, German rugby union international
Donald Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Douglas Arthur Davies (1896–1992), British military officer

E

Ebenezer Thomas Davies (1903–1991), scholar and priest
Edgar G. Davies (1898–1919), British World War I flying ace
Ednyfed Hudson Davies (1929–2018), Welsh politician
Edward Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Edwin Davies, British businessman and philanthropist
Edwin Davies (publisher) (1859–1919), Welsh publisher and editor
Emiko Davies, Australian-born food writer
Emily Davies, English feminist
Eric Davies, South African cricketer
Eva Davies (1924–2013), British fencer
Evan Thomas Davies (1878–1969), Welsh composer

F

Frances Davies (born 1996), New Zealand field hockey player
Francis James Davies (1889–1941), British military aviator
Fred Davies (1939–2020), English footballer
Freddie Davies (born 1937), English comedian

G

Gareth Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Garfield Davies, Baron Davies of Coity (1935–2019), British trade union leader
Gary Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Gavyn Davies, British banker and past BBC chairman
Geoffrey Davies, English actor
George Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Geraint Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Gerald Davies Welsh rugby player
Gordon Leslie Herries Davies (1932–2019), British geographer and historian of geography and geology
Grant Davies, Australian canoer
Greg Davies, Welsh comedian
Godfrey Davies, English historian
Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies, English actress

H

Henry Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Hilary Davies (born 1954), English poet, critic and translator
Hopkin Davies, Wales international rugby player
Howard Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Hugh Sykes Davies (1909–1984), English poet and academic
Hunter Davies, Scottish writer
Huw Irranca-Davies, British politician

I

Ian Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Idris Davies, Welsh poet

J

J. Glyn Davies, Welsh poet and scholar
Jack Davies (disambiguation), several people
Jack Llewelyn Davies, second eldest of the Llewelyn Davies boys befriended by Peter Pan creator J. M. Barrie
Jackson Davies, Canadian actor
Jacob G. Davies (1795–1857), American politician
James Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Jeremy Davies (exorcist), English Catholic priest
Jeremy Davies, American actor
Jérémy Davies, Canadian ice hockey player
Jim Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Jimmy Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Jocelyn Davies, Welsh politician
Joe Davies (disambiguation)
John Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Jon Davies, American meteorologist and storm chaser
Jonathan Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Joseph Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Jude Davies, British academic

K

Karl Davies, English television actor
Kay Davies, English geneticist
Ken Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Kevin Davies, English footballer
Kevin Davies, British television director
Kieron Davies, German rugby union player
Kimberley Davies, Australian actress
Kyle Davies, American baseball player
Kyle Davies, American soccer player

L

L. P. Davies, British novelist
Lane Davies, American actor
Laura Davies, English golfer
Libby Davies, Canadian politician
Lilian May Davies, later Princess Lilian, Duchess of Halland
Lindy Davies, Australian actress
Llewellyn Alberic Emilius Price-Davies, British general
Lorys Davies, British Anglican priest
Louis Henry Davies, Canadian politician
Luke Davies, Australian writer
Lyndal Davies, Australian wildlife documentary maker
Lynn Davies, British athlete

M

M. C. Davies (1835–1913), Australian businessman
Mandy Rice-Davies (1944–2014), Welsh model
Marcus Davies (born 1991), Australian rules footballer
Marianne Davies, English musician
Marion Davies (1897–1961), American actress
Mark Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Marshall Davies (born 1930), American musician; pianist, professor
Martin Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Mary Elizabeth Davies (1925–2015), Welsh chess master
Matthew Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Mervyn Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Michael Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Mike Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Mims Davies (born 1975), British Conservative politician, MP for Eastleigh since 2015
A. Morley Davies (1869–1959), British paleontologist

N

Nicholas Barry Davies, British ethologist, ornithologist and professor at the University of Cambridge
Nicholas Llewelyn Davies, see Llewelyn Davies
Nick Davies, British journalist
Nicola Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Norman Davies, English historian

O

Oliver Ford Davies, English actor
Owen Davies (disambiguation), multiple people

P

Patricia Davies, Zimbabwean field hockey player
Paul Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Peter Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Peter Ho Davies, English author
Peter Llewelyn Davies, see Llewelyn Davies
Peter Maxwell Davies (1934–2016), English composer
Philip Davies, British politician
Philip R. Davies, British scholar
A. Powell Davies, American Unitarian Minister

Q

Quentin Davies, British politician

R

R.E.G. Davies, English scholar and aviation writer
Ray Davies, English musician and member of The Kinks
Reine Davies, American actress
Rees Davies, Welsh historian
Rhett Davies, producer
Rhys Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Richard Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Richard Gareth Davies, English entomologist
Rick Davies, English musician with Supertramp
Riley Davies, British rapper known as ArrDee
Robert Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Rob Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Robertson Davies, Canadian author
Robin Davies (1954–2010), Welsh actor
Roger Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Ron Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Ronald Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Rosemary Davies, American actress
Rosina Davies (1863–1949), Welsh evangelist
Roy Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Rupert Davies, English actor
Russell Davies, Welsh television personality
Russell T Davies, Welsh television writer
Ryan Davies, Welsh entertainer

S

Sally Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Sam Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Samuel Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Sara Davies (born 1984), British businesswoman
Sarah Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Scott Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Sean Davies (born 1973), Zimbabwean cricketer
Sean Davies (footballer) (born 1985), English footballer
Sharron Davies (born 1962), English swimmer
Shona Rapira Davies, New Zealand artist
Siobhan Davies, English dancer
Simon Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
S. O. Davies (1886-1972), British politician
Somerset Davies (1754–1817), English politician
Sonja Davies, New Zealand trade unionist and politician
Stan Davies (1898–1972), Welsh international footballer
Stephen Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
Steven Davies, English cricketer
Stevie Davies, Welsh novelist
Stewart Davies, English football chairman
Stuart Davies (rugby union) (born 1965), Welsh rugby union player
Sue Jones-Davies, Welsh actress and singer
Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (1866–1910), mother of the boys who served as the inspiration for Peter Pan

T

T. Glynne Davies, Welsh poet and broadcaster
Terence Davies (1945–2023), English film director and screenwriter
Theophilus Harris Davies, British businessman
Thomas Davies (disambiguation), includes Tom Davies
Tim Davies (disambiguation)
Tod Davies, American screenwriter
Trefor Davies, Welsh cricketer
Tru Davies, fictional eponymous character in Tru Calling

V

Valentine Davies, American film director
Vanessa Lloyd-Davies (1960–2005), British doctor, equestrian and soldier

W

W. H. Davies, Welsh poet and writer
W. P. C. Davies, English rugby player and headmaster
W. R. Davies, second president (1941–1959) of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Walford Davies, English composer
William Davies (disambiguation), multiple people
William Rupert Davies, former Canadian senator
Windsor Davies (1930–2019), English actor

Z

Zach Davies, American baseball player

Notes

References

^ 'The Celts', T. G. E. Powell, Thames & Hudson, 1958
^ Charles-Edwards, Thomas (2013). Wales and the Britons, 350–1064. OUP Oxford. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-19-821731-2.
^ "Surname Database: Davies Last Name Origin". surnamedb.com.
^ ^a ^b "Davies Surname Meaning and Distribution". forebears.co.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2014
^ "Davis Surname Meaning and Distribution". forebears.co.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2014

This page lists people with the surname Davies.
If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.

[1] 'The Celts', T. G. E. 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.

[fb-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

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

Davies

Notable 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

References