Davenport (sofa)

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Davenport is the name of a series of sofas manufactured by the now-defunct A.H. Davenport Company. Due to the popularity of the furniture at the time, the name "Davenport" has become a genericized trademark like "Kleenex" or "Band-Aid" and is often used as a synonym for "sofa", especially in the Midwestern United States and in Northern New York State, in the Adirondack Region and on the western flank of that region in the Tughill Plateau, in villages such as Camden, and especially amongst those born there before World War II. As it happens, the so-called Davenports of that region are often locally made sofa versions of the locally manufactured convertible Adirondack Chair.

Among the younger generations, the word has come to mean a more formal sofa. In the Tughill and Adirondack regions in New York, a Davenport may refer especially to a couch which, like a modern futon lounge, converts on pivoting hinges from a sofa to a bed.

DaVan (d'van) was commonly used as slang for Davenport amongst the "blue collared" families of the 1950s/60s in areas of the Midwestern United States, especially Texas.

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

A similar word, Daveno, also refers to a sofa or couch. The term was more widely used in the 50's and 60's, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.