Boy name · Hebrew
David
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: beloved oneDavid is a boy's name that comes from Hebrew and means "beloved one". It is used in English, Irish, Scottish, French, German and Spanish and more.
- Meaning
- Beloved one
- Origin
- Hebrew
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #35 in 2025
Meaning and origin of David
As a boy's name, David comes from Hebrew and means "beloved one". It is used in English, Irish, Scottish, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Scandinavian and Hebrew.
In Spanish, say dah-BEED. Respellings are a guide; accents vary by region.
David is also a surname: the 732nd most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 45,954 people. See the most common last names.
Its meaning puts David on our names that mean love list.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
David on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about David on 7 lists.
“Beloved; Hebrew. Shepherd who became king, 1 Samuel”
From Biblical names, biblical names for boys
“Beloved; Hebrew. Short, soft and familiar”
From Boy middle names, classic boy middle names
“Beloved one; Hebrew. The shepherd boy who became king”
From Classic boy names, timeless boy names
“Beloved; Hebrew. The shepherd who became king. Say dah-BEED”
From Mexican boy names, mexican boy names from the Bible
“Beloved one; Hebrew, the shepherd who became king of Israel”
From Names that mean love, names that mean beloved or dear
“Hebrew for beloved; borne by two medieval kings of Scots.”
From Scottish boy names, scottish kings, saints and heroes
“Beloved one; Hebrew, the shepherd who defeated Goliath”
From Strong boy names, strong biblical boy names
How popular is David?
- US rank in 2025
- #35
- 6,794 babies, 3,978 per million boys
- Best rank
- #1 in 1960
- Most babies: 86,306 in 1955
- Babies since 1880
- At least 3,676,654
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 6,910 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 6,427 per million |
| 1900s | 6,349 per million |
| 1910s | 6,570 per million |
| 1920s | 8,053 per million |
| 1930s | 15,587 per million |
| 1940s | 28,641 per million |
| 1950s | 38,085 per million |
| 1960s | 38,102 per million |
| 1970s | 26,986 per million |
| 1980s | 20,786 per million |
| 1990s | 13,024 per million |
| 2000s | 9,023 per million |
| 2010s | 6,209 per million |
| 2020s | 4,402 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #19 | #22 | #22 | #27 | #28 | #30 | #31 | #27 | #31 | #35 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Nicknames for David
Established short forms and pet names, not made-up ones.
- Davecommon English nickname
- Daveycommon English nickname
- Davycommon English nickname
Other forms of David
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- DafyddBeloved one (Hebrew, boy)
- DáibhíBeloved one (Hebrew, boy)
- DàibhidhBeloved one (Hebrew, boy)
- DaveyBeloved (Hebrew, boy)
- DaviBeloved (Hebrew, boy)
- DavideBeloved one (Hebrew, boy)
- DavieBeloved one (Hebrew, boy)
- DawidBeloved one (Hebrew, boy)
- DawudBeloved (Hebrew, boy)
- DewiBeloved one (Hebrew, boy)
- DovidBeloved (Hebrew, boy)
- KawikaBeloved one (Hebrew, boy)
Names spelled like David
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- DandManly, brave (Greek, boy)
- DarioPossessing goodness (Persian, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- MiriamForm of Mary, meaning uncertain; perhaps Egyptian beloved (Hebrew, girl)
- CarinaDear, beloved (Latin, girl)
- AzizPowerful, respected, beloved (Arabic, boy)
- FridaPeace; in Old Norse, beloved (Germanic and Old Norse, girl)
- AmadoBeloved (Latin, boy)
- CaraFriend in Irish; beloved in Italian (Irish and Italian, girl)
- DavinaBeloved one (Hebrew, girl)
- DilaraAdorner of the heart; beloved (Persian, girl)
- ErasmusBeloved (Greek, boy)
- HabibBeloved, darling (Arabic, boy)
Middle names for David
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Hebrew
- AdamMan, humankind (Hebrew, boy)
- DanielGod is my judge (Hebrew, boy)
- NoahRest, repose (Hebrew, boy)
- EliasMy God is Yahweh (Hebrew, boy)
- GabrielGod is my strength (Hebrew, boy)
- AxelMy father is peace (Hebrew, boy)
- BenjaminSon of the right hand (Hebrew, boy)
- IsaacHe will laugh (Hebrew, boy)
- JanGod is gracious (Hebrew, boy)
- JonathanYahweh has given (Hebrew, boy)
David: common questions
What does the name David mean?
David comes from Hebrew and means "beloved one". Checked against Behind the Name.
Is David a boy or girl name?
David is mainly a boy's name. In 2025, 7 girls and 6,794 boys in the US were named David, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are nicknames for David?
Common nicknames for David include Dave, Davey and Davy.
How popular is the name David?
David ranked #35 in the US in 2025, with 6,794 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of David?
Forms of David with the same meaning and origin include Dafydd (Welsh), Dáibhí (Irish), Dàibhidh (Scottish), Davey (English) and Davi (Portuguese).
What middle names go with David?
Middle names that flow well with David include Bartholomew, Bernard, Lincoln, Patrick and Porter. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.