Meaning of Last Name

Davies is a common surname of Welsh origin. It is patronymic of David, a Hebrew name meaning "beloved". Davies is a hugely popular name in Wales, owing to the name of its patron saint, David. The name stems from the Welsh Ap Dafydd, meaning "son of David". Families who held the name Dafis changed their name to Davies during the 19th century. Davies is also fairly widespread in the south-west of Britain, especially Cornwall. Cornish variants of the name include Davies, Davis, Davie, Davye, Davey, Daves and Davyse. It has been argued that the Cornish name derives not from a patronymic but rather from the Cornish Dewnans, "Devon", thus referring to someone from Dumnonia or Devon, or alternatively from dew, meaning "dark". Whatever the origins it is interesting to note that many supposedly Welsh surnames are fairly widespread in Cornwall too, once known itself as West Wales. The name is also found in Brittany. Davies is the 6th-most common surname in the United Kingdom. It may refer to many people.