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Davenport was the name of a series of sofas made by the Massachusetts furniture manufacturer A. H. Davenport and Company, now defunct. Due to the popularity of the furniture at the time, the name davenport became a genericized trademark in parts of the United States.^[1]

Variations

It is used as a synonym for "sofa" or "couch" in some Great Lakes regions of the United States, especially the Upper Midwest and Buffalo, NY–Erie, PA areas.^[2] It was used in the Adirondack Region and the Tug Hill Plateau amongst those born there before World War II.^{[citation needed]} The so-called davenports of the northern New York region are often sofa versions of the locally manufactured convertible Adirondack chair.^{[citation needed]}

The word has come to mean a more formal sofa among the younger generations. In the Tug Hill and Adirondack regions in New York, a davenport may refer primarily to a couch which, like a modern futon lounge, converts on pivoting hinges from a sofa to a bed.^{[citation needed]}

In other areas of North America, the word davenport is used for a futon-style sofa with storage under the seat area.

Etymology

A "large upholstered couch," 1897, apparently named for the manufacturer. Earlier (1853), it was "a kind of small ornamental writing table." The proper name is attested from the 12th century, from a place in Cheshire (Old English Devennport).^[3]

A similar word, Daveno, also refers to a sofa or couch. The term was more widely used in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.^{[citation needed]}

Most Davenporters call this type of furniture a couch.^{[citation needed]}