Welsh
Davies Tartans & Clan
Davies is a patronymic Welsh name which potentially formed from the name Dyfed which originated from Desi which were a Celtic tribe from south-east Ireland who centred in the tribal region of the Demetae in south-west Wales during the late 3rd century. The Dyfed dynasty lasted five centuries and is was officially recorded as a surname in the 12th century by Gwynfard Dyfed in 1175. Dafydd then began to appear during the 13th century, for example in Dafydd ap Gruffydd who was the prince of Wales in the mid 1200s. Davies today is the second most common surname across Wales and it is also largely widespread in the neighbouring region of Cornwall in south west England.
Who Wears Davies Tartan? - Associated Names
First of all to explain why there are so many tartans, way over 2000 in fact. There are an awful lot of Scottish clans to start with and on top of this each clan can have many different tartans and names associated with it.
- Dackins
- Dafydd
- Dai
- Dakin
- Davey
- David
- Davidson
- Davieson
- Davie
- Daviel
- Davin
- Davis
- Davyn
- Day
- Daykyn
- Dawe
- Dawes
- Dawkins
- Dawson
- Daukyn
- Davydd
- Deakyn
- Dei
- Dew
- Dewey
- Dewi
- Dewydd
- Divis
- Dyan
- Dyer
- Dyfed
- Dykins
- Dyos
DaviesTartans
1 variationsEach tartan can have multiple variations, the most common of which are Ancient, Modern, Weathered, Hunting and Dress
About tartan variations
- Ancient
- Modern
- Weathered
- Hunting
- Dress
Ancient Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer colours typical of the Ancient tartans, mossy greens and sky blues, a more orangey red and some would say showing off the pattern to much greater effect as as the contrasts are much brighter than the Modern tartans. The pattern or sett remains the same across all variations of a single tartan, and only the shades or tones vary.
Helpful Advice
Post 1860 chemical dyes replaced the natural animal and vegetable dyes and the Modern Tartans were born with their stronger and bolder colours. The soft greens and blues become bottle green and navy blue, reds are scarlet.
Modern Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer colours typical of the Ancient tartans. Post 1860 chemical dyes replaced the natural animal and vegetable dyes and the Modern Tartans were born with their stronger and bolder colours. The soft greens and blues become bottle green and navy blue, reds are scarlet.
Helpful Advice
The Modern tartans are often the more subtle combinations such as the classic Black Watch Modern
Weathered Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer, more earthy colours typical of the Weathered tartans, reminiscent of bolder colours subjected to wind, rain and sunshine producing beautiful faded tones, olive greens and browns, and very light blues with reds that are more pink than red.
Helpful Advice
Some mills refer to the Weathered tartans as Muted.
Hunting Tartan
The Hunting Tartans are the camouflage tartans and some clans don't have these variations because they are already predominantly green or brown and don't need amendment to blend in with nature's colours. The Black Watch or Gunn tartans are examples of these, whereas a tartan such as the Fraser is predominantly red and would not provide much cover for men out hunting.
Helpful Advice
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if you need an exact match we suggest you order a swatch to double check.
Dress Tartan
The Dress Tartans were designed as the name suggests for celebrations and highland dance. The sett or pattern of the tartan remains the same and the main colour is changed to white, or extra white is added to the pattern to give it a brighter, more "fancy" appearance. The Scots do like to bend the rules and occasionally instead of white thread, yellow is used and this is where the rather wild MacLeod Dress Modern and Barclay Dress Modern came from.
Helpful Advice
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if you need an exact match we suggest you order a swatch to double check.
From the Start
Davies Clan Origins & History
Explore the History
How it all started
Davies is a patronymic Welsh name which potentially formed from the name Dyfed which originated from Desi which were a Celtic tribe from south-east Ireland who centred in the tribal region of the Demetae in south-west Wales during the late 3rd century. The Dyfed dynasty lasted five centuries and is was officially recorded as a surname in the 12th century by Gwynfard Dyfed in 1175. Dafydd then began to appear during the 13th century, for example in Dafydd ap Gruffydd who was the prince of Wales in the mid 1200s. Davies today is the second most common surname across Wales and it is also largely widespread in the neighbouring region of Cornwall in south west England.
What's in the tartan?
The Davis Welsh tartan is mainly a bright blue with purple, yellow black and green running throughout.
Dafydd ap Gruffydd
Dafydd ap Gruffydd was prince of Wales in the 13th century and was the son of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn. He is known for defending Wales in 1282 when there was a conflict between the Plantagenet-ruled England which resulted in the loss of Welsh Independence making Dafydd the last independent ruler of Wales.
The Davies clan motto is 'Heb Dhuw heb ddym, Dhuw a digon', meaning 'Without God without anything, God is enough'.
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