NameCensus.

UK surname

Dewar

A Scottish occupational surname referring to a keeper of animals, from the Gaelic word "deoradh" meaning "pilgrim" or "stranger."

In the 1881 census there were 3,922 people recorded with the Dewar surname, ranking it #1,157 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,627, ranked #1,471, down from #1,157 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Dull, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Deans Village, Auchterarder and Greenock West and Central.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dewar is 4,719 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 18.0%.

1881 census count

3,922

Ranked #1,157

Modern count

4,627

2016, ranked #1,471

Peak year

2010

4,719 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dewar had 3,922 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,157 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,627 in 2016, ranked #1,471.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,626 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Dewar surname distribution map

The map shows where the Dewar surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Dewar surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dewar over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 2,807 #1,042
1861 historical 2,826 #1,035
1881 historical 3,922 #1,157
1891 historical 4,194 #1,146
1901 historical 4,626 #1,221
1911 historical 961 #4,699
1997 modern 4,297 #1,520
1998 modern 4,443 #1,523
1999 modern 4,501 #1,513
2000 modern 4,453 #1,525
2001 modern 4,342 #1,525
2002 modern 4,464 #1,514
2003 modern 4,389 #1,507
2004 modern 4,417 #1,506
2005 modern 4,398 #1,486
2006 modern 4,423 #1,483
2007 modern 4,501 #1,467
2008 modern 4,492 #1,482
2009 modern 4,584 #1,493
2010 modern 4,719 #1,483
2011 modern 4,607 #1,491
2012 modern 4,535 #1,488
2013 modern 4,627 #1,490
2014 modern 4,649 #1,487
2015 modern 4,609 #1,486
2016 modern 4,627 #1,471

Geography

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Where Dewars are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Dull, Govan Combination, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Perth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Deans Village, Auchterarder, Greenock West and Central, Rannoch and Aberfeldy and Logie and Blackness. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Dull Perth
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Perth Perth

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Deans Village City of Edinburgh
2 Auchterarder Perth and Kinross
3 Greenock West and Central Inverclyde
4 Rannoch and Aberfeldy Perth and Kinross
5 Logie and Blackness Dundee City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dewar

These lists show first names that appear often with the Dewar surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dewar

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Dewar, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Dewar surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Dewar household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Dewar is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Dewar is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dewar falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Dewar is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Dewar, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Dewar

The surname Dewar originated in Scotland and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Scottish Gaelic word "deabhair," which means "able fighter" or "skilled person." The name was likely given as a descriptive name to someone who was known for their skill in battle or a particular craft.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where it appears as "Dewere." This document contains the names of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England after the Scottish Wars of Independence.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms, such as "Deuere" and "Dewere," in Scottish charters and records. One notable bearer of the name was Sir Robert Dewar, a Scottish knight who fought alongside King Robert the Bruce in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.

The Dewar family has a long history in Scotland, with several distinguished members throughout the centuries. One of the most famous was Sir Thomas Dewar (1864-1930), a Scottish whisky distiller and entrepreneur who founded the Dewar's whisky brand. He was also a philanthropist and served as Lord Provost of Perth.

Another notable Dewar was Sir James Dewar (1842-1923), a Scottish chemist and physicist who is best known for his pioneering work on the liquefaction of gases and the study of low-temperature phenomena. He was the inventor of the Dewar vacuum flask, which is widely used for storing cryogenic materials.

In the literary world, Sir Walter Dewar (1897-1981) was a Scottish writer and historian who wrote extensively on Scottish history and culture. He served as the Rector of the University of Aberdeen and was awarded the prestigious Saltire Society Book of the Year Award.

The Dewar name has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Dewartown and Dewarknowe, which are located in the Scottish Borders region. These place names may have derived from the surname or vice versa, as it was common for families to take their names from the areas they inhabited.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dewar families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dewar surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Perthshire leads with 691 Dewars recorded in 1881 and an index of 40.41x.

County Total Index
Perthshire 691 40.41x
Lanarkshire 602 4.89x
Fife 565 25.05x
Midlothian 397 7.78x
Angus 317 8.98x
Argyllshire 151 14.24x
Middlesex 140 0.37x
Stirlingshire 121 8.61x
Northumberland 97 1.71x
Aberdeenshire 59 1.67x
Lancashire 55 0.12x
Renfrewshire 51 1.73x
Dunbartonshire 50 4.88x
Durham 50 0.44x
Inverness-shire 43 3.78x
West Lothian 43 7.49x
Buteshire 36 15.59x
Surrey 36 0.19x
Kent 35 0.27x
Clackmannanshire 34 10.80x
Yorkshire 28 0.07x
Ayrshire 27 0.95x
Roxburghshire 26 3.77x
Kinross-shire 24 24.92x
East Lothian 21 4.16x
Devon 20 0.25x
Hampshire 20 0.26x
Berwickshire 17 3.68x
Ross-shire 17 1.62x
Staffordshire 16 0.12x
Morayshire 13 2.20x
Wigtownshire 12 2.37x
Sussex 9 0.14x
Glamorgan 8 0.12x
Warwickshire 8 0.08x
Essex 7 0.09x
Dumfriesshire 6 0.71x
Banffshire 5 0.63x
Bedfordshire 5 0.25x
Northamptonshire 4 0.11x
Orkney 4 0.95x
Oxfordshire 4 0.17x
Suffolk 4 0.09x
Westmorland 4 0.48x
Derbyshire 3 0.05x
Hertfordshire 3 0.11x
Selkirkshire 3 0.87x
Caernarfonshire 2 0.13x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.08x
Royal Navy 2 0.44x
Shropshire 2 0.06x
Berkshire 1 0.04x
Caithness 1 0.19x
Cornwall 1 0.02x
Cumberland 1 0.03x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 0.18x
Nairnshire 1 0.86x
Peeblesshire 1 0.56x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Edinburgh St Cuthberts in Midlothian leads with 181 Dewars recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.81x.

Place Total Index
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 181 8.81x
Barony 153 4.91x
Govan 132 4.33x
Dundee 121 9.18x
Liff Benvie 101 18.85x
Glasgow 81 3.70x
Auchterarder 59 123.59x
Leslie 53 92.80x
Dull 52 151.69x
St Ninians 51 36.61x
Dunfermline 48 13.84x
Carluke 47 42.01x
Dysart 45 29.62x
Perth East Church 45 27.91x
Stirling 41 23.14x
Crieff 38 59.75x
Markinch 38 49.63x
Kenmore 36 176.56x
Kinghorn 36 75.19x
Aberdeen Old Machar 34 4.61x
Fortingall 34 155.75x
Glassary 32 56.00x
Westgate 31 8.83x
Kilmadock 30 76.30x
South Leith 30 5.22x
Kirkcaldy 28 25.03x
Auchterderran 27 47.61x
Cupar 27 27.53x
Logierait 27 89.70x
Cambusnethan 24 8.77x
Crail 23 99.91x
Shotts 23 15.60x
Inveresk 22 15.92x
Knapdale South 22 60.37x
Rothesay 22 19.68x
Alloa 21 13.76x
Elswick 21 4.64x
North Leith 21 8.89x
Rattray 21 52.75x
Dalgety 20 116.08x
Cambuslang 19 15.29x
Dunning 19 88.87x
Dunoon Kilmun 19 22.97x
Methven 19 75.79x
Whitburn 19 22.92x
Dalziel 18 13.58x
Kirkmichael 18 162.16x
St Andrews 18 17.54x
Brechin 17 12.25x
Duddingston 16 15.62x
Kinross 16 48.46x
Tibbermore 16 65.28x
Wallsend 16 8.90x
Bishopwearmouth 15 1.54x
Inverness 15 5.24x
St George Hanover Square 15 2.23x
Whitechapel London 15 3.99x
Dumbarton 14 9.82x
Edinburgh St Andrews 14 33.21x
Maryhill 14 5.80x
Monzievaird Strowan 14 152.84x
Perth St Pauls 14 35.35x
Perth West Church 14 17.25x
St Pancras London 14 0.46x
Burntisland 13 20.62x
Comrie 13 53.15x
Deptford St Paul 13 1.30x
Dingwall 13 44.16x
Dunblane 13 31.76x
Dunse 13 29.71x
Edinburgh St Marys 13 13.10x
Glenorchy Inishail 13 106.12x
Kilbrandon 13 73.57x
Wemyss 13 13.62x
Fowlis Wester 12 82.30x
Inveraray 12 87.53x
Lambeth 12 0.36x
Lesmahagow 12 9.21x
Perth Middle Church 12 18.66x
Boleskine Abertarff 11 58.29x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Dewar surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Dewar surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 41
William 32
James 30
Robert 17
David 15
George 15
Henry 12
Alexander 10
Thomas 9
Joseph 7
Alfred 6
Charles 6
Arthur 5
Peter 5
Douglas 4
Edward 3
Frederick 3
Richard 3
Allan 2
Archibald 2
Daniel 2
Duncan 2
Francis 2
Mathew 2
Michael 2
Percy 2
Willm. 2
Albemarle 1
Alex 1
Alexr. 1
Andrew 1
Archie 1
Arkley 1
Donald 1
Edwin 1
Elizth.Ann 1
Fredrick 1
Geo.R. 1
Geo.Wm. 1
Gordon 1
Harold 1
Jas. 1
Louise 1
Matthew 1
Octavius 1
Patrick 1
Robt 1
Robt. 1
Robt.George 1
Wissam 1

FAQ

Dewar surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dewar surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,922 people were recorded with the Dewar surname. That placed it at #1,157 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dewar surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,627 in 2016. That gives Dewar a modern rank of #1,471.

What does the Dewar surname mean?

A Scottish occupational surname referring to a keeper of animals, from the Gaelic word "deoradh" meaning "pilgrim" or "stranger."

What does the Dewar map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Dewar bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.