Explore the Family Name Davidson
The meaning of Davidson
1. Scottish, northern English, and Jewish (Ashkenazic): from the personal name David + -son. As a Jewish name, the last element comes from German Sohn ‘son’. 2. Irish (Down) and Scottish: adopted for Gaelic Mac Daibhéid ‘son of David’; see McDevitt. 3. Americanized form (and a rare Swedish variant) of Swedish Davidsson: patronymic from the personal name David. 4. Americanized form of Norwegian, Danish, and North German Davidsen, a cognate of 3 above.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Davidson in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Davidson has seen a slight shift in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked as the 269th most popular surname, but by 2010, it had dropped to the 301st position, marking an 11.9% decrease. Despite the drop in rank, the actual count of people with the Davidson surname increased slightly from 102,044 in 2000 to 103,930 in 2010, showing a 1.85% growth. However, the proportion of people with the Davidson surname per 100,000 population declined by 6.87%, from 37.83 in 2000 to 35.23 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #269 | #301 | -11.9% |
| Count | 102,044 | 103,930 | 1.85% |
| Proportion per 100k | 37.83 | 35.23 | -6.87% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Davidson
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some notable shifts for the surname Davidson. There was a noticeable increase in the percentage of Hispanic individuals bearing the Davidson surname, rising from 1.60% in 2000 to 2.35% in 2010, marking a substantial 46.87% increase. A similar trend is observed among Asian/Pacific Islanders and those identifying as two or more races, which grew by 41.3% and 24.5% respectively. The percentage of White individuals with the Davidson surname saw a small decline from 86.25% in 2000 to 84.38% in 2010. The group identified as Black showed a modest increase from 9.58% in 2000 to 10.08% in 2010, while the American Indian and Alaskan Native group saw a minor growth of 8.33%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 86.25% | 84.38% | -2.17% |
| Black | 9.58% | 10.08% | 5.22% |
| Hispanic | 1.6% | 2.35% | 46.87% |
| Two or More Races | 1.51% | 1.88% | 24.5% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.46% | 0.65% | 41.3% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.6% | 0.65% | 8.33% |
Davidson ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Davidson is British & Irish, which comprises 53.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (20.5%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (5.9%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Eastern European, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Nigerian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 53.2% |
| French & German | 20.5% |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 5.9% |
| Other | 20.3% |
Possible origins of the surname Davidson
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Davidson have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 85.20% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 85.20% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 85.00% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 84.90% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 84.90% |
What Davidson haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Davidson is R-P311, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P311 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L21 and R-U152, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Smith, Martin, Miller, Brown, Wilson, Young, Clark, Thompson, Taylor, Hill.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Davidson surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Davidson have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Davidson" Surname 43.7%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Davidson" Surname 26.6%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Davidson" Surname 21.5%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Davidson" Surname 18.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Davidson?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Davidson are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition