An English surname, Davenport comes from the Celtic term of
‘dafnu’ which means to trickle or drop and the Old English term
of ‘port’ which means market place. Various in spelling
Davenport include Donarty, Davenporte and Devonport. In England
the Davenport surname originated in Cheshire county. The name
spread into Staffordshire and Lancashire counties. There are
lesser Davenport populations across most of England and Wales.
In Dunbartonshire and Lanarkshire counties of Scotland there are
many Davenport families. The states of Texas, New York,
Pennsylvania, Illinois, Tennessee and Georgia have the greatest
populations of those named Davenport. Famous: Claire Davenport
(actress from England), Emily Davenport (co-inventor of the
electric motor and electric locomotives in the 1830s), George
Davenport (19th century frontiersman for whom the city of
Davenport, Iowa was named), Russell Davenport (writer), Homer
Davenport (political cartoonist), Najeh Davenport (professional
footballer), Samuel Davenport (19th cent