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 century pioneer of South Australia) and Lindsay Davenport (professional tennis player).