Surname Davidge - Meaning and Origin
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Davidge: What does the surname Davidge mean?
The last name Davidge is derived from the Welsh personal name "David", which is itself derived from the Hebrew personal name "David", which means "beloved". The name "David" was a popular name among Medieval Christians due to its biblical history. It was very common for surnames to be derived from a person's given name, and so Davidge is a surname derived from the given name "David".
Davidge is a toponymic surname, which means it is associated with a place. Specifically, Davidge is associated with the parish of Davidge, which is located in Flintshire, Wales. It is likely that the family originally took their name from the parish, either when they moved to live there, or when they were referred to by the place name.
The variation in spelling of Davidge is likely due to a lack of standardisation in spelling in the Middle Ages. As there was no consistent way to spell words, variation was common, and the pronunciation of the name "Davidge" has always been the same, regardless of the spelling.
The name Davidge is still common today, with people bearing the name located throughout Britain, Australia, Canada, the United States and other English speaking countries.
Order DNA origin analysisDavidge: Where does the name Davidge come from?
The last name Davidge is most common today in the United Kingdom. Research conducted by Forebears, a genealogy resource, shows Davidge to be the 7,039th most common name in the UK as of 2019.
The region in which the name most frequently appears is London, which accounts for 7.2% of the population who bear that surname. This is followed by Glamorgan in Wales, Buckinghamshire in England, and also Kent, Devon and Yorkshire in England.
The Davidge surname is thought to date back to the Norman Irish surname David. It is possible that the name came to the UK through migration from Ireland to the British Isles. While some of the mentions of the surname appear to originate from the area now recognised as the Republic of Ireland, the majority of Davidge's can actually be traced to England.
Various spellings of the nickname can be found throughout England and the Isle of Man including Davitt, Davys, Dafydd, Davies and Dafis. It is likely that the family was more widespread than these particular examples, as the name is believed to be a variant of the name Davis.
It is also worth noting that the evacuation of civilians during World War II further spread the Davidge name - many members of the Davidge family would have been taken to the south of England, meaning the surname couldn’t help but spread throughout the region.
Variations of the surname Davidge
The surname Davidge is of English origin and has variants such as Davey, Davies, Daffy, Drewitt, Daffett, Davit, Davott, and Dilking.
Davey is a short form often used as a given name, and also a patronymic or metronymic surname derived from the personal name David. It is also an anglicized spelling of the Irish surname Ó Dubhthaigh, meaning "descendant of Dubhthaigh".
Davies is of Welsh origin and is derived from the Welsh given name David. It may also be an anglicized version of the Gaelic names Mac Daibhidh (meaning "son of David") or Mac Daibheid (meaning "son of David").
Daffy has multiple variations, with one spelling originating from the Irish name Ó Daibhge, meaning "descendant of Daibhge". It may also be derived from the English term daff, either as a nickname for someone who was considered to be playful or foolish or as a topographic name for someone who lived in an area full of daffodils.
Drewitt is derived from the Old English given name Dreawald, which was composed of the elements dryge (meaning "strong" or "resolute") and weald (meaning "rule" or "power").
Daffett is a variant of the Welsh Davies and is derived from the Welsh personal name David.
Davit is a variant of the surname Davidge and may be derived either from the Hebrew given name David or from an Old English personal name composed of the elements daegha (meaning "day") and wig (meaning "warrior").
Davott is an English patronymic or metronymic surname which is derived from the given name David.
Dilking is an English diminutive of the given name Dilke, which was a nickname for someone considered to be small or weak.
Famous people with the name Davidge
- Jere Davidge: A former women's college basketball coach, she was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005.
- Ben Davidge: An English actor, he is known for his role in the TV series Pobol y Cwm.
- Yvette Davidge: A Welsh actress, she is best known for her roles in Doctor Who and Torchwood.
- Mark Davidge: An English footballer, he is currently playing for Conference North side Harrogate Town.
- Jamie Davidge: An English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, he is the lead singer of the band The Anchoress.
- Thomas Davidge: An English cricketer, he is currently playing for Somerset County Cricket Club.
- John Davidge: An English composer, he is best known for the score for the ITV drama A Touch of Frost.
- Christopher Davidge: An English actor, he is known for his role in the 2005 film The Da Vinci Code.
- David Davidge: An English entrepreneur, he is a co-founder of the music streaming company Unsung.
- Keith Davidge: An English businessman and entrepreneur, he is the CEO of Foxy Bingo.