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[Surname] Re: american and british? surname Daven
i think it's English and that it had the same root as the surname Davenport. Davenport is taken from a village with the same name. The meaning is 'port near the daven' and the Daven is the river on which the city is situated. This river is also written as Dan . I also found a firstname Daven of Scandinavian origin meaning 'bright Finn', but i think this is not related and there is also a Yiddish verb daven meaning 'to say prayers' (nowadays davenen ). I don't think this is related as well, but just to be as complete in my answer as possible. The name of the river Daven (or Dan) is supposed to mean 'river' according to the following text:

Davenport
(origin: Local) Derived from the town of Davenport, in Cheshire, England, so called from the river Dan or Daven (which name signifies a river), and port, a haven or harbor.

the above text is taken from the following website:
http://www.last-names.net/surname.asp?surname=Davenport
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