Davidson (name)

For other uses, see Davidson (disambiguation).

Davidson is a patronymic surname, meaning "son of David". There are alternate spellings called septs, including those common in the British Isles and Scandinavia: Davidsen, Davisson, Davison, Daveson, Davidsson. While the given name comes from the Hebrew "David", meaning beloved, Davidson is rarely used as a masculine given name or nickname.

It is also an anglicised version of the Ashkenazi Jewish surname Davidovitch, Slavic for "son of David" and Davidoff.

Surname

Notable people with the surname Davidson include:

A–D

• Adam Davidson (disambiguation)
• Alan Davidson (disambiguation)
  • Alan Davidson (cricketer, born 1929) (born 1929), Australian cricketer
  • Alan Davidson (food writer) (1924–2003), British diplomat, historian and food writer
  • Alan Davidson (Scottish footballer) (born 1960), Scottish footballer
  • Alan Douglas Davidson, Australian pilot; first Qantas death
  • Alan Edward Davidson (born 1960), Australian soccer player
• Alexander Davidson, several people, including:
  • Alexander Davidson (architect) (1839–1908), Scottish architect
  • Alex Davidson (Australian footballer), Australian rules footballer
  • Alex Davidson (rugby league), rugby league player
• Allan Davidson (disambiguation)
  • Allan "Scotty" Davidson (1890–1915), Canadian hockey player
• Amy Davidson (born 1979), American actress
• Andrew B. Davidson (born 1902), Scottish Hebrew scholar
• Andy Davidson (disambiguation)
• Anthony Davidson (born 1979), British racing driver
• Arnold Davidson (?–?), American philosopher
• Arthur Davidson (motorcycling), co-founder of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company
• Avram Davidson (1923–1993), American science fiction writer
• Basil Davidson (born 1914), English historian of Africa
• Ben Davidson (born 1940), American football player
• Bessie Davidson (1879–1965), Australian painter
• Bill Davidson (disambiguation)
• Bob Davidson (ice hockey), Canadian hockey player
• Bob Davidson (umpire), baseball umpire
• Bruce Davidson (equestrian), American equestrian
• Bruce Davidson (photographer) (born 1933), American photographer
• Callum Davidson, Scottish football player and coach
• Carolyn Davidson (?–?), designed the Nike swoosh
• Charlie Davidson (born 1972), American football player
• Chy Davidson (born 1959), American football player.
• David Davidson (politician) (born 1943), Scottish politician
• Davidson (Essex cricketer), English cricketer playing 1784–1787
• Dean Davidson (born 1985), Speedway race car driver
• Donald Davidson (disambiguation), several people, including:
  • Donald Davidson (historian) (?–?), British-born Indianapolis Motor Speedway historian
  • Donald Davidson (philosopher) (1917–2003), American philosopher
  • Donald Davidson (poet) (1893–1968), American poet
• Doug Davidson (born 1954), American actor

E–L

• Eileen Davidson (born 1959), American actress
• Eric H. Davidson (born 1937), American biologist
• Ernest R. Davidson (born 1936), American chemist
• Frances Davidson, Viscountess Davidson (1894–1985), British politician
• George Davidson (geographer) (1825–1911), English geodesist, astronomer, geographer and engineer in the United States
• George Forrester Davidson (1909–1995), Canadian civil servant
• Gustav Davidson (1895–1971), American poet and angelologist
• Harold Davidson (1875–1937), English clergyman who was defrocked
• Harriet Miller Davidson (1839-1883), Scottish-Australian novelist
• Brigadier General Henry Brevard Davidson (1831–1899), American Civil War, Confederate Army
• Hilda Ellis Davidson (1914–2006), English antiquarian and mythographer
• Ian Davidson (Scottish politician) (born 1950), Scottish politician
• Inger Davidson (born 1944), Swedish politician
• J. Norman Davidson (FRS), Scottish biochemist, pioneer molecular biologist and textbook author.
• Jack Davidson (1875–1952), Australian rules footballer
• Jack Davidson (Scottish footballer) (born 1925), Scottish footballer (East Fife FC)
• James Dale Davidson (?–?), American founder of the National Taxpayers Union
• James Davidson (disambiguation)
• James Duncan Davidson (born 1970), software engineer
• James Edward Davidson Australian founder of News Limited.
• Jane Davidson (born 1957), Welsh politician
• Jaye Davidson (born 1968), British actor
• Jim Davidson (disambiguation), several people, including:
  • Jim Davidson (born 1953), English comedian
• Jo Davidson, American sculptor
• John Andrew Davidson (1852–1903), Canadian politician
• John Davidson (disambiguation), several people, including:
  • John Davidson (entertainer) (born 1941), American actor, host of the game show Hollywood Squares
  • John Davidson (ice hockey) (1912–1996), a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player
  • John Davidson (poet) (1857–1909), Scottish poet and playwright
  • John Davidson, 1st Viscount Davidson, earlier known as John Colin Campbell Davidson,(1889–1970), British politician
    • John Ogilvie Davidson, Canadian packer, guide and rancher, known as "Skook" Davidson (short for Skookum
  • Major General John "Black Jack" Davidson (1825–1881), Mexican–American War
• Jonathan Davidson, British civil engineer and soldier
• Lionel Davidson (born 1922), English poet

M–R

• Max Davidson (born 1950), German-born film comedian
• Melody Davidson (?–?), Canadian hockey coach
• Michael Davidson (poet) (born 1944), American poet
• Michael Davidson (singer) (born 1969), singer and songwriter
• Mike Davidson (born 1963), New Zealand freestyle swimmer
• Murray Davidson, Scottish football player
• Neil Davidson
• Nora Fontaine Davidson (1836–1929), American teacher
• Ogunlade Davidson (?–?), Sierra Leonean academic
• Osha Gray Davidson (born 1954), American writer
• Owen Davidson (born 1943), Australian tennis player
• Patricia Davidson (born 1946), Canadian politician
• Philip Davidson (1882–unknown), American gangster
• Lt. General Phillip Davidson (1915–1996), served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War
• Randall Davidson (1848–1930), 1st Baron Davidson of Lambeth, Archbishop of Canterbury
• Richard Davidson (born 1951), American scientist
• Richard M. Davidson, Old Testament scholar
• Robert Davidson (inventor) (1804–1894), Scottish inventor
• Robert Laurenson Dashiell Davidson (1909–1998), philatelist of Missouri
• Robyn Davidson (born 1950), Australian writer
• Rollo Davidson (1944–1970), mathematician
• Ross Davidson (1949–2006), British actor
• Ross Davidson (footballer, born 1973), English footballer
• Ross Davidson (footballer, born 1989), English footballer
• Ross Davidson (footballer, born 1993), Scottish footballer

S–W

• Samuel Davidson (1807–1898), Irish Biblical scholar
• Samuel Cleland Davidson (1846–1921), Irish inventor and founder of the Belfast Sirocco Works
• Stewart Davidson (1886–1960), Scottish football player and coach
• Stuart Davidson (cricketer) (born 1972), Scottish cricketer
• Sven Davidson (born 1928), Swedish tennis player
• Thomas Davidson (palaeontologist) (1817–1885), Scottish-British palaeontologist
• Thomas Davidson (philosopher) (1840–1900), Scottish philosopher
• Tommy Davidson (born 1965), American actor
• True Davidson (1901–1978), Canadian mayor
• Walter Edward Davidson (1859–1923), Colonial governor of the Seychelles, Newfoundland, New South Wales
• William Davidson (conspirator) (1781–1820) African Caribbean revolutionary
• William Davidson (lumberman) (1740–1790), Scottish settler in Canada
• William Davidson (1923–2009), American executive
• Brigadier General William Lee Davidson (1746–1781), United States War of Independence
• William Mackenzie Davidson (1856-1930), American politician and planter
• Willie G. Davidson, head of design of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company; designer of the FX Super Glide, XLCR Sportster, FXSTSB Bad Boy, and other models

Given name

• Davidson Black (1884–1934), Canadian paleoanthropologist

Fictional characters

• Dr. Ben Davidson, fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live, portrayed by actor Mark Derwin
• PC Andy Davidson, fictional character on the BBC science fiction series Torchwood, portrayed by actor Tom Price

See also

• Davidson (disambiguation)
• Viscount Davidson
• Clan Davidson
• Davison (disambiguation)
• Davidsen (disambiguation)