David means beloved, and no figure but Christ is more central to the Old Testament. A shepherd boy anointed in secret, he felled Goliath with a sling and a stone, wrote much of the Psalter, and became Israel's greatest king. God called him a man after mine own heart.
His life held towering faith and grievous failure alike — and his psalm of repentance, create in me a clean heart, remains the church's confession. God promised his throne would endure for ever, a promise fulfilled in Jesus, the son of David.
David has been a top name across the world for centuries — royal, poetic, and beloved, exactly as it means.
Variants & nicknames
Dave, Davey, Dawid, Daveed
David in the Bible
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.