In the United States, the Davis surname is the 8th most common name. They are a racially diverse group, being 62.2% white, 31.6% black, and 6.2% other according to the 2010 US census.The Davies surname is the 1031st most common surname, and is much less racially diverse, being 91.34 % white. In Great Britain, this is reversed. There Davies is the 6th most common surname overall, and being the most common surname in 7 of the 22 Welsh councils. Davis is the 54th most common surname, but is 4th in Bristol and 5th in Gloucestershire.

Saint David (c. 500 – 589) is the patron saint of Wales. The Welsh word for David is Dafydd. In Welsh, the f is pronounced as a v, the y as an I, the dd as th, so Dafydd is pronounced dah-vith, which became Anglicized to Davis, or the possessive form Davies. NOTE: In Wales, I believe most still pronounce Davies as day-vis, not day-veez as in the U.S. and England.

PRICING:

Holiday sale thru January 1st!.

Here is the regular pricing: 

Y-DNA37 - 37 marker test for $119 
Y-DNA111 -111 marker test for $249  
Big Y-700 for $449

Whichever you choose now can always be upgraded later for an additional fee as shown below:

Y-DNA37 to 67 for $89

Y-DNA37 to 111 for $139 

Y-DNA67 to 111 for $89

ORDERING: Before ordering please click on the HELP button and read as much as you can. After ordering, click on GROUP PROJECTS/JOIN A PROJECT at the top of your webpage and search for Davis or Davies under Y DNA projects.

SUBGROUPING: When you have 3 or more close matches, the Project Administrator will create a subgroup. The Project Administrator will pick a name based on the most distant known ancestor of the subgroup. Feel free to contact the Project administrator to change the subgroup name to whatever you like. If you do not have matches, you will be placed in a subgroup based on your haplogroup.

RECOMMENDED READING:

A Short History of Humanity - A new History of Old Europe (2021), Johannes Krause and Thomas Trappe

The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy (2016) by Blaine T Bettinger 

Saxons, Vikings, and Celts: The Genetic Roots of Britain and Ireland (2007) by Bryan Sykes
DNA USA (2012) Bryan Sykes
FOR ADOPTEES - Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA (2012) by Richard Hill

FOR ADOPTEES - Swabbed And Found (2017) by Frank Billingsley

For Not The Expected Parent events: The Stranger in My Genes (2016) by Bill Griffeth

For Not The Expected Parent events: Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love (2019) by Dani Shapiro

Deep Ancestry: Inside The Genographic Project (2007) by Spencer Wells
The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey (2004) by Spencer Wells
Trace Your Roots with DNA (2004) by Megan Smolenyak and Ann Turner
Adam's Curse (2004) by Bryan Sykes
The Seven Daughters of Eve (2001) by Bryan Sykes
Genealogy and Genetics: A theme issue of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly- Volume 93, No. 4, December 2005.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:
 

International Society of Genetic Genealogy ISOGG.ORG

2023 Institute for Genetic Genealogy Conference I4GG.org

RECOMMENDED VIEWING:

Finding Your Roots (2023 - 2012) DVD The basic drive to discover who we are and where we come from is at the core of this 10-part PBS series Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Continuing on the quest begun in his previous projects, African American Lives, African American Lives 2 and Faces of America, Gates finds new ways to, as he says, "get into the DNA of American culture." He takes viewers along for the journey with one celebrity pair bound together by an intimate, sometimes hidden link. And he treks through layers of ancestral history to uncover the secrets and surprises of their family trees.

Faces of America (2010)DVD What made America? What makes us? These two questions are at the heart of the new PBS series Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Building on the success of his series African American Lives (called by the New York Times "the most exciting and stirring documentary on any subject to appear on television in a longtime") and African American Lives 2, Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. again turns to the latest tools of genealogy and genetics to explore the family histories of 12 renowned Americans.

Looking beyond the black experience to the wider immigrant experience, Professor Gates unravels the American tapestry, following the threads of his guests' lives back to their earliest origins around the globe. Along the way, the many stories he uncovers -- of displacement and homecoming, of material success and dispossession, of assimilation and discrimination -- illuminate the American experience. Professor Gates' guests include professor and poet Elizabeth Alexander, who composed and read the poem at President Barack Obama's inauguration, chef Mario Batali, comedian Stephen Colbert, novelist Louise Erdrich, journalist Malcolm Gladwell, actress Eva Longoria, musician Yo-Yo Ma, director Mike Nichols, Her Majesty Queen Noor, television host/heartsurgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz, actress Meryl Streep, and figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi.

The Human Family Tree (2009) DVD Join geneticist Spencer Wells and a team of technicians from National Geographic's Genographic Project as they trace the human journey through time and space, from our origins in the heart of Africa to the ends of the world. Cutting edge science, coupled with a castof New Yorkers—each with their own unique genetic history—will help paint a picture of these amazing journeys.

African American Lives 2 (2008) DVD In February 2006 the PBS series African American Lives narrated by acclaimed Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates showed the results of extensive genealogical searches of prominent African Americans including composer and producer Quincy Jones talk show host Oprah Winfrey and comedian Chris Tucker. Reaction to the show spurred thousands of black Americans to begin or renew the search especially with the help of DNA testing to find their origins. Gates and PBS have teamed up for a sequel that will air in February 2008 but this version will have a twist: A member of the general public will be selected to have his or her genealogical roots traced. The winner s story will be told along with those of several celebrities including Chris Rock Morgan Freeman Tom Joyner Maya Angelou Don Cheadle and others.

African American Lives (2006) DVD A compelling combination of story telling and science AFRICAN-AMERICAN LIVES is an unprecedented four-hour series on PBS that takes Alex Haley's Roots saga to a whole new level. The series will profile some of the most accomplished African-Americans of our time using genealogy and DNA to trace their roots down through American history and back to . Hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr. W.E.B. Du Bois professor of the Humanities and chair of African and African-American Studies at Harvard University Dr. Gates will provide access to the day-to-day lives of several prominent African-Americans drawing on photographs film clips music and earl personal records while a team of researchers genealogists and forensic DNA analysts will conduct investigations into their family histories. By spotlighting African-American role models the series hopes to inspire millions to consider their own heritage and underscore for all Americans the importance of knowing their past in order to unlock the future.

Journey of Man (2003) DVD How did the human race populate the world? A group of geneticists have worked on the question for a decade, arriving at a startling conclusion: the "global family tree" can be traced to one African man who lived 60,000 years ago. Dr. Spencer Wells hosts this innovative series, featuring commentary by expert scientists, historians, archaeologists, and anthropologists.