Name day
David: Name Day and Patron Saint
David keeps the name day on the Sunday between 26 and 31 December, or 26 December, the feast of the Prophet and King David: next on 27 December 2026.
By Greek custom the name day is the Sunday between 11 and 17 December: the Holy Forefathers.
- Patron saint
- the Prophet and King David
- New Calendar
- the Sunday between 26 and 31 December, or 26 December
- Next name day
- 27 December 2026 (New Calendar) · 10 January 2027 (Old Calendar)
- Greek custom
- the Sunday between 11 and 17 December: the Holy Forefathers
The patron saint: the Prophet and King David
Kept on the Sunday between 26 and 31 December, or 26 December · Sunday after the Nativity (with St Joseph the Betrothed and St James)
The holy Prophet and King David is a forefather of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh. The youngest son of Jesse, he tended his father’s sheep in Bethlehem until God chose him and he was anointed king. As a youth he overcame the Philistine giant Goliath in single combat. Though King Saul hunted him as a rival, David twice spared his life. He became king of all Israel, made Jerusalem his city, and received God’s promise that his house and kingdom would endure; Christ was born of his line, in his own town of Bethlehem. David also fell into grave sin with the wife of Uriah, and the Church holds him up as the model of repentance, above all in Psalm 50 (51), “Have mercy on me, O God”. His Psalter is sung in every service and prayed by the faithful at home. He died in great old age, steadfast in faith in the coming Messiah. The Church remembers him with St Joseph the Betrothed and St James the Brother of the Lord on the Sunday after the Nativity, which falls between 26 and 31 December, or on 26 December when there is no such Sunday (on the Old Calendar, between 8 and 13 January, or on 8 January). The faithful turn to him as a man of prayer and repentance, and the Church’s own lives note that he is invoked by those facing a difficult situation.
What the faithful pray for
- true repentance and a contrite heart
- courage before a difficult situation, such as an interview
- those who sing and pray the Psalms
- shepherds, musicians and leaders
- faith in God’s promises
Other saints named David
the Holy Forefathers
Kept on the Sunday between 11 and 17 December · Sunday of the Holy Forefathers
On the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers the Church remembers the righteous men and women of the Old Testament, the ancestors of Christ according to the flesh and all who waited in faith for His coming, from Adam onward. Among them are Adam and Eve, Abel, Seth, Enoch and Noah, and the patriarch Abraham, whom St Paul calls the father of the faithful. Many of them lived among idols and cruelty, yet they kept faith in the one God and hoped for the Messiah they would not see in this life. The Church likens them to candles of God burning in the darkness. The feast falls on the Sunday between 11 and 17 December (on the Old Calendar, the Sunday between 24 and 30 December), the second Sunday before Christmas, in the middle of the Nativity Fast. Its Gospel is the parable of the great supper, in which the poor, the lame and the blind are brought in to the feast after the first guests make excuses. The hymns of the day recall the three youths who would not bow to an idol and were kept unharmed in the fiery furnace, a sign of Christ born of the Virgin. The troparion says that God justified the forefathers by faith, and it asks Christ to save our souls through their prayers. Those who bear the names of the patriarchs and their wives keep this Sunday as their name day, and the faithful ask the forefathers to pray for them as they prepare their hearts to receive Christ.
What the faithful pray for
- faith that holds firm while we wait on God
- hope in God’s promises
- a heart made ready for the Nativity of Christ
- courage to refuse every idol
- families, parents and those who come after us
St David of Wales
Kept on 1 March, or 14 March on the Old Calendar · St David, Archbishop of Menevia, Enlightener of Wales
The patron of Wales, bishop and founder of monasteries, who told his people to “do the little things”.
St David the Builder
Kept on 26 January, or 8 February on the Old Calendar · Holy Right-believing King David the Builder
The king who united Georgia and founded the academy and monastery of Gelati.
St David of Thessaloniki
Kept on 26 June, or 9 July on the Old Calendar
David in other languages
| Language | The name | Short forms |
|---|---|---|
| English | David, Dafydd, Davide, Davit | Dave, Davey, Davy, Dai |
| Greek | Δαβίδ, David, Dabid | |
| Russian | Давид, David | Дава |
| Serbian | Давид, David | |
| Romanian | David | |
| Georgian | დავით, Davit | დათო, Dato |
| Arabic | داود, Daoud, Dawoud, Dawood | |
| Spanish | David | |
| Polish | Dawid |
An icon for David
We don't carry an icon of the Prophet and King David yet. Ask for it below, and we will write to you when it is in.
Closest to it
Folding diptychSt Edward the Martyr, King of England & Guardian Angel
Another royal saint$99$69
Folding diptychSt Olaf, King of Norway & Guardian Angel
Another royal saint$99$69
Folding diptychChrist (Zvenigorod Saviour) & Vladimir Mother of God
Christ and the Mother of God keep every Christian home$99$69
For every name: the Guardian Angel, given at baptism
Have it consecrated by our priest before it reaches you: Consecration, $49.
A name-day gift for David
Name-Day Gift Set $213$149
A patron saint's folding diptych chosen by first name, a stainless steel crucifix and a prayer rope, in a gift box with a card giving the saint's life and feast day.
The St Nicholas the Wonderworker & Guardian Angel Folding Diptych is chosen, for the Guardian Angel every Orthodox Christian receives at baptism, and the name is filled in.
Questions
When is David’s name day?
David keeps the name day on the Sunday between 26 and 31 December, or 26 December, the feast of the Prophet and King David; the next is on 27 December 2026. By Greek custom it is kept on the Sunday between 11 and 17 December: the Holy Forefathers.
Who is the patron saint of David?
the Prophet and King David. The holy Prophet and King David is a forefather of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.
How is David written in other languages?
Greek: Δαβίδ (David), Russian: Давид (David), Serbian: Давид (David), Romanian: David, Georgian: დავით (Davit) and Arabic: داود (Daoud). Every form of the name keeps the same saint.
What is a good name-day gift for David?
We don’t carry an icon of the Prophet and King David yet, and you can ask for one on this page. Every Orthodox Christian has a Guardian Angel from baptism, so the Name-Day Gift Set ($149) with the Guardian Angel diptych is always fitting.
More about name days
- Name Days Explained: What They Are, How Families Keep Them, and Gifts
A name day is the feast of the saint whose name you carry. Here is how to find yours on either calendar, how Greek and Russian families keep it, and what to give.
- Orthodox Patron Saint: How to Find Yours (by Name, Day or Choice)
Your Orthodox patron saint is the saint whose name you were given at baptism. Here is how to find yours by name, by the day of your birth or baptism, or by choice, and how to keep the name day.
- Find another name
Sources
- OCA: Commemoration of the Holy Righteous David the King, Joseph the Betrothed, and James the Brother of the Lord
- UOC of the USA: David the King, Joseph the Betrothed and James, the Brother of the Lord
- OCA: Accepting the Lord's Invitation (Sunday of the Forefathers)
- OCA: Troparia and kontakia, Sunday of the Forefathers
- OrthoChristian: Who Are the Holy Forefathers, and Why Do We Commemorate Them Before the Nativity of Christ?
- Patriarchate of Antioch: The Sunday of the Holy Forefathers
- Orthodox Church in America, Lives of the Saints
- eortologio.net, Greek name-day calendar (Εορτολόγιο)
- azbyka.ru, Месяцеслов (the Russian Church's calendar of saints by name)