David

David meaning

David is a Christian and international boy's name of Hebrew origin.

Loving; from the same root as dowd, beloved

David is the Hebrew Dawid (דָּוִד). Strong's Concordance glosses the name as "loving" and links it to dowd, a word for a beloved one, a friend or an uncle, so name lists usually give it as "beloved". It is the name of the youngest son of Jesse, who became the second king of ancient Israel. In 1 Samuel he kills the Philistine giant Goliath with a sling and a stone; as king he captures Jerusalem from the Jebusites, makes it his capital and brings the Ark of the Covenant there. Many of the Psalms are traditionally ascribed to him as poet and musician, though scholars see the Psalter as a collection from many periods. In India the name is used mainly in Christian families.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, H1732 · entry David · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: Strong's Hebrew H1732, David (Bible Hub) · Britannica, David

Famous namesakes

• David, king of Israel and slayer of Goliath

Popularity abroad

• #35 United States, boys 2025 (down 4 from 31 in 2024)
  US Social Security Administration
• #73 England and Wales, boys 2025
  Office for National Statistics

Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.

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