Dawda

Dawda is a masculine given name of West African usage, derived from the Arabic Dawud (David). It is commonly transliterated as Dawda, Dawood, or Dawud, and is typically used in Muslim communities in The Gambia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Guinea-Bissau. The name functions predominantly as a given name; it is rarely used as a surname, though naming conventions vary regionally.

In The Gambia, the name Dawda is particularly prominent due to the historical figure Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, who was born in 1924 and served as the country’s first president after independence, from 1970 to 1994, and who remained a central figure in Gambian politics for decades. Because of his leadership, the given name Dawda is widely recognized within Gambian public life.

Across West Africa, Dawda has been borne by lawmakers, professionals, and community leaders, reflecting the name’s integration into local naming traditions. Variants of the name include Dawood and Dawud, while the Anglophone form David is etymologically related. The name’s cultural resonance stems from the reverence for the biblical and Qur’anic figure Dawud (David) in Muslim and Christian communities in the region.