David

In the Christian tradition

David is the second king of Israel, the psalmist of the Hebrew tradition, and the ancestor through whom Jesus is reckoned in both Matthew's and Luke's genealogies. The name has been continuously in Christian use since the early centuries and remains among the most common Christian boys' names in modern English-speaking families.

The Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7) is one of the key Old Testament texts the Christian tradition reads as fulfilled in Christ; the title "Son of David" applied to Jesus throughout the gospels makes the name itself a christological reference. The Psalms attributed to David (traditionally seventy-three of the one hundred fifty) form the principal prayer book of Christian liturgy across the traditions. The Catholic Calendar commemorates David with Joseph on December 29; the Orthodox calendar honors King David on the Sunday after the Nativity together with Joseph and James the Lord's brother. The name David remains one of the most-used Christian names in the modern world.