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.