(male) Biblical name, borne by the greatest of all the kings of Israel, whose history is recounted with great vividness in the first and second books of Samuel and elsewhere. As a boy he killed the giant Philistine Goliath with his slingshot. As king of Judah, and later of all Israel, he expanded the power of the Israelites and established the security of their kingdom. He was also noted as a poet, many of the Psalms being attributed to him. The Hebrew derivation of the name is uncertain; it is said by some to represent a nursery word meaning ‘darling’. It is a very popular Jewish name, but is almost equally common among Gentiles in the English-speaking world. It is particularly common in Wales and Scotland, having been borne by the patron saint of Wales (see Dewi) and by two medieval kings of Scotland.
Short form: Dave.
Pet forms: Davy, Davey, Davie (mainly Scottish); Dai.
Cognates: Irish: Dáibhídh. Scottish Gaelic: Dàibhidh. Welsh: Dafydd, Dewi. German, Dutch: David. French: David. Spanish: David. Italian: Davide. Russian: David. Polish: Dawid. Czech: David. Finnish: Taavi. Hungarian: Dávid.
Welsh: from the Old Welsh personal name Morcant, which is of uncertain but ancient etymology.
Irish: importation of the Welsh surname, to which has been assimilated more than one Gaelic surname, notably Ó Muireagáin (see Merrigan).
Scottish: of uncertain origin; probably from a Gaelic personal name cognate with Welsh Morcant.
FOREBEARS Morgan is one of the oldest and commonest of Welsh surnames, but there is also a Scottish family called Morgan, established from medieval times in Aberdeenshire, with connections with the McKays. The Scottish name is probably not the result of Welsh migration, but was established independently. Abel Morgan (1673–1722), a baptist clergyman, was born in Cardiganshire, South Wales, and emigrated to Philadelphia in 1712, establishing churches in PA, DE, and NJ.
