Davenport Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Davenport last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Davenport last name
Meaning of the Davenport last name: market on the River Dane. Davenport is an English surname from a township in Cheshire whose name means "market on the River Dane". The family who took the last name held land there for centuries and served as hereditary foresters of the nearby royal forests. The surname spread through Cheshire and Lancashire. A curious detail: John Davenport, a Puritan minister, helped found New Haven in Connecticut, taking this Cheshire name across the Atlantic.
Arms associated with the Davenport name
In English heraldry gold stood for generosity and blue for loyalty, and coats of arms associated with the Davenport name speak that old language of colour.
Get your full Davenport family history
This is only a glimpse of the Davenport story. The full Davenport history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Davenport coat of arms. Get the full Davenport report.
Davenport name FAQ
What does the Davenport name mean?
Market on the River Dane. Common variants include Devenport, Damport, Davenporte.
Where does the Davenport surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Ireland and Australia.
Is there a Davenport coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Davenport coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); Cheshire Historic Environment Record.