Meaning and background
The story behind Davis
Davis developed as a patronymic surname connected with David or the Welsh form Dafydd. Its history spans English and Welsh naming, with other adapted Gaelic lines also recorded. The final s originally indicates a family relationship rather than a plural of the ordinary English name Dave. Today Davis works neatly as a two-syllable given or dog name while retaining that surname background.
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About Davis
Recorded as a dog’s name
Davis appears in 20 dog licence records in the 2022 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/deɪvəs/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
Other dictionary readings and notation
/deɪvəs/ · primary stress on syllable 1D EY1 V AH0 S
/deɪvɪs/ · primary stress on syllable 1D EY1 V IH0 S
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
Gender association: NYC licence-period records. Any dog can use this name.
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — all seven available extract years, retrieved 24 October 2026 — Recorded name spellings in NYC licence-period rows, extract years 2016–2018, 2022–2024 and 2026. Evidence selects one stated year per name. Annual snapshots overlap; never sum them as unique dogs. No national popularity, etymology or owner naming-intent claim.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.