David (English)

Where does "David" come from?

The name David originates from the Biblical Hebrew word 'dāwiḏ,' which literally translates to 'beloved.' It traveled through Koine Greek and Late Latin before being adopted into Old English, eventually evolving into the version we use in English today.

Full etymology tree

• David (English), 'The second king of Judah and Israel, the successor of King Saul in the Hebrew Bible; the son of Jesse and the father of Nathan and King Solomon.'
  • inherited David (Middle English)
    • inherited Dauid (Old English), 'a male given name, equivalent to English David.'
      • inherited Dāvīd (Latin), 'David'
        • borrowed Δαυῑ̈́δ (Dauī̈d) (Koine Greek)
          • borrowed דָּוִד (dāwiḏ) (Biblical Hebrew)

Direct ancestors

• Dauid (Old English)
• David (Latin)
• Δαυΐδ (Ancient Greek)

Updated June 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris