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Davidson Family History

Davidson Surname Meaning

Scottish northern English and Jewish (Ashkenazic): from the personal name David + -son. As a Jewish name the last element comes from German Sohn ‘son’. Irish (Down) and Scottish: adopted for Gaelic Mac Daibhéid ‘son of David’; see McDevitt . Americanized form (and a rare Swedish variant) of Swedish Davidsson: patronymic from the personal name David . Americanized form of Norwegian Danish and North German Davidsen a cognate of 3 above.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Similar surnames: Davidsen, Davisson, Davison, David, Davids, Arvidson, Davidoff

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Where is the Davidson family from?

You can see how Davidson families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Davidson family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Davidson families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 194 Davidson families living in Ohio. This was about 13% of all the recorded Davidson's in USA. Ohio had the highest population of Davidson families in 1840.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Davidson surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Davidson

What did your Davidson ancestors do for a living?

View Census Data for Davidson | Data not to scale

Top Male Occupations In 1940

Farmer
14%
Laborer
13%
Salesman
6%
Carpenter
3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

Teacher
8%
Housewife
6%
Stenographer
6%
Housekeeper
6%

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What Davidson family records will you find?

Census Records
There are 928,000 census records available for the last name Davidson. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Davidson census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.
Search US census records for Davidson
Passenger Lists
There are 155,000 immigration records available for the last name Davidson. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.
View all Davidson immigration records
Draft Cards
There are 141,000 military records available for the last name Davidson. For the veterans among your Davidson ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.
View all Davidson military records

Census Records

There are 928,000 census records available for the last name Davidson. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Davidson census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Davidson

Passenger Lists

There are 155,000 immigration records available for the last name Davidson. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Davidson immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 141,000 military records available for the last name Davidson. For the veterans among your Davidson ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Davidson military records

You've only scratched the surface of Davidson family history

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What is the average Davidson lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Davidson life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Davidson in 1941 was 37, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Davidson

Browse profiles of historical people with the Davidson last name