Male name
David
38,564 births (England and Wales, 1996–2025), peaking in 1996. Expression number: 22.
Origin
From Middle English David, Davyd, Davyde, from Old English Dauid, David, from Late Latin Dāvīd, from Koine Greek Δαυῑ̈́δ (Dauī̈́d), from Biblical Hebrew דָּוִד (dāwiḏ, literally “beloved”).From Wiktionary, entry “David”, text under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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How many babies received it
From the official birth registers.
In England and Wales
Peak in 1996: 2,517 births. 38,564 births from 1996 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. At its peak, it ranked 32nd among boys' names in 1996. It is still given: 4,236 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the United States
Peak in 1955: 86,454 births. 3,689,613 births from 1880 to 2025. A name given steadily, decade after decade, from the 1940s to the 1980s. At its peak, it ranked 1st among boys' names in 1960. It is still given: 37,391 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names, public domain.
In Ireland
Peak in 1980: 1,740 births. 50,892 births from 1964 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. At its peak, it ranked 1st among boys' names in 1985. It is still given: 654 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Central Statistics Office, Irish Babies' Names, CC BY 4.0.
Elsewhere in the world
The name in the birth records of the 10 countries we track. The period covered varies from country to country.
| Country | Births | Period | Best rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 316,315 | 1900–2025 | 2nd in 1974 |
| Argentina | 53,367 | 2012–2023 | 43rd in 2014 |
| Switzerland | 34,911* | 1915–2025 | — |
| Austria | 31,604 | 1984–2025 | 1st in 2012 |
| Quebec | 24,942 | 1980–2025 | 2nd in 1982 |
| Berlin | 2,382 | 2012–2023 | 11th in 2012 |
| Belgium | 1,359 | 2014–2023 | — |
* These are the people living in the country, counted by year of birth, not the number of births.
Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms, Etalab Open Licence 2.0; RENAPER, Nombres propios en Argentina, CC BY 4.0 (the registry doesn't record sex); Federal Statistical Office, First names of the population by year of birth, free use with attribution; Statistik Austria, Vornamen, CC BY 4.0; Retraite Québec, Banque de prénoms, CC BY 4.0; Open Data Berlin, Häufige Vornamen, CC BY 3.0 DE (every name a child carries, not only the first); Statbel, first names of newborns, CC BY 4.0 (one total for the whole period, no yearly breakdown).
The numbers of the name
Each letter has a value: A = 1, B = 2… I = 9, then J = 1 again (Pythagorean method). We add them up, then reduce to a single digit, except 11, 22 and 33.
■ vowel · ■ consonant
Expression
All the letters: talents, the way you act.
22
the large-scale builder (master number)
4 + 1 + 4 + 9 + 4 = 22
Soul
The vowels: what drives you deep down.
1
initiative, independence, beginnings
1 + 9 = 10 → 1
Personality
The consonants: what others notice first.
3
expression, creativity, sociability
4 + 4 + 4 = 12 → 3
- Digits missing from the name
- 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8
- Most frequent digit
- 4 · work, structure, stability
The meaning of the numbers comes from numerological tradition; it isn't a measure of your personality. A full portrait needs your first and middle names, your last name at birth, and your date of birth. How we calculate
Your name and theirs
The number of each name, and the number of the bond, which comes from adding them together. A symbolic game: what your two names say together, to be read as a metaphor, not as a verdict on your relationship.