David: Name Meaning, Origin, and Bible Story. Darkness giving way to the first dawn over a wide horizon.

Name meaning

David: Meaning, Origin, and the Bible

Hebrew · beloved · 1 Samuel 16:13

David is a Hebrew name meaning beloved. In the Bible, the shepherd king, man after god's own heart bore this name. Below is its true meaning, its story, a verse that fits it, and a blessing.

In the Bible a name is never only a label. It carries a hope, a prayer, or a story, and again and again God Himself gives or changes a name to mark what He is doing in a life. So to ask what a name means is a good and old question, and it deserves an honest answer, not a guess. Here is the real meaning, where it comes from, and where it can lead.

What the name David means

The name David comes from Hebrew and means beloved. Names like this were chosen with care, often to remember what God had done or to speak a hope over a child, and the meaning has carried down through the generations to the families who give the name today.

David in the Bible

David was the youngest son of Jesse, a shepherd anointed to be king while still a boy. He killed Goliath with a sling, wrote many of the psalms, and though he sinned grievously, God called him a man after mine own heart because he returned again and again in repentance. God promised that his throne would be established forever, a promise fulfilled in Jesus, the Son of David.

A verse for David

“Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.”1 Samuel 16:13

“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”Matthew 1:1

A blessing for David

May David be blessed and be a blessing. The name David means beloved, and we pray it over this life like a good seed: that David would be strong and gentle, honest and kind, and would one day rest the whole weight of that name upon Jesus, who carries His people tenderly and never lets them go.

Every name points to one Name

Scripture says God has given Jesus a name which is above every name, and that there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Whatever your name means, its deepest hope is met in Him. He knows His own by name, and He calls them to Himself as the Living Bread, the One who satisfies the hunger no name can fill.

Who is Jesus? · The gospel explained · Begin with Jesus

Go deeperRead the full lifeRead the chapterAll name meanings

Questions people ask

Is David a name in the Bible?

Yes. The shepherd king, man after God's own heart bore the name David in Scripture. You can read the account above; the Bible tells the story plainly and honestly.

What does the name David mean?

David is a Hebrew name meaning beloved.

What does David mean in Hebrew?

In Hebrew, the name David means beloved. That is its genuine root, not a modern guess.

More name meaningsSaulJonathanJesseSolomon All name meanings
Enter Living Breadprayer, Scripture, a family near you