Description
Every name is a story. This one begins with a question: Whose son are you?
“Davis” means “son of David” — and it was invented not once but thousands of times, by thousands of unrelated fathers named David. In Wales it grew from ap Dafydd; in England from the native “son of Davy”; in Ireland and Scotland from the Gaelic Mac Daibhéid — three streams, one American spelling, now the eighth most common surname in the United States.
This lavishly illustrated volume traces Davis through eight chapters — the Welsh patronymic engine that made it; the heartland of Wales and the border counties; the crossings that carried it west; the signature story of Jacob W. Davis, the Reno tailor who invented blue jeans; the heraldry that belongs to particular lineages and never to all; a gallery of great bearers — the navigator, the war correspondent, two generals, Bette, Miles, Sammy; the curiosities, from the Davis Cup to “Bette Davis Eyes”; the towns that kept the name; and where the Davises live today — eighth in America.
Printed in dramatic 8.5″ × 11″ large format, Davis: A Surname History is the perfect gift for anyone who bears the name — past, present, and future — and for all those who love them.
Find your name. Find your story.
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