NameCensus.

UK surname

Dewey

Derived from the French surname Deuyet, likely referring to someone from the village of Douai in northern France.

In the 1881 census there were 1,261 people recorded with the Dewey surname, ranking it #3,232 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,582, ranked #3,920, down from #3,232 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Romsey Extra, Michelmersh, Coveney, Manea, Mepal, Downham, Witcham, Witchford, Wentworth and Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Fenland, Wiltshire and South Kesteven.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dewey is 1,947 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 25.5%.

1881 census count

1,261

Ranked #3,232

Modern count

1,582

2016, ranked #3,920

Peak year

1911

1,947 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dewey had 1,261 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,232 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,582 in 2016, ranked #3,920.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,947 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Dewey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dewey surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dewey 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 826 #3,269
1861 historical 663 #4,039
1881 historical 1,261 #3,232
1891 historical 1,246 #3,466
1901 historical 1,650 #3,127
1911 historical 1,947 #2,553
1997 modern 1,715 #3,474
1998 modern 1,729 #3,583
1999 modern 1,717 #3,630
2000 modern 1,678 #3,683
2001 modern 1,642 #3,686
2002 modern 1,706 #3,643
2003 modern 1,661 #3,653
2004 modern 1,632 #3,706
2005 modern 1,561 #3,818
2006 modern 1,539 #3,864
2007 modern 1,575 #3,814
2008 modern 1,572 #3,848
2009 modern 1,637 #3,806
2010 modern 1,666 #3,826
2011 modern 1,645 #3,827
2012 modern 1,611 #3,825
2013 modern 1,643 #3,822
2014 modern 1,667 #3,792
2015 modern 1,621 #3,855
2016 modern 1,582 #3,920

Geography

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Where Deweys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Romsey Extra, Michelmersh, Coveney, Manea, Mepal, Downham, Witcham, Witchford, Wentworth, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, London parishes and Portsmouth, Portsea. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Fenland, Wiltshire and South Kesteven. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Romsey Extra, Michelmersh Hampshire
2 Coveney, Manea, Mepal, Downham, Witcham, Witchford, Wentworth Cambridgeshire
3 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Fenland 004 Fenland
2 Wiltshire 061 Wiltshire
3 Wiltshire 042 Wiltshire
4 Fenland 003 Fenland
5 South Kesteven 011 South Kesteven

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dewey

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dewey

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Dewey, 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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Dewey surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Dewey household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Dewey 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

Dewey is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dewey 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 Dewey 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 Dewey, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Dewey

The surname DEWEY is of English origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old English word "deaw," meaning "dew," and was initially given to someone who lived near a dew pond or a particularly dewy area.

The name is found in various old records and manuscripts, including the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Deueie" and "de Dewi." This suggests that the name was already well-established in England before the Norman Conquest.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is found in the Pipe Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1186, which mentions a William de Dewy. In the 13th century, the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire as "Dewi."

The name is also associated with various place names, such as Dewey Hill in Wiltshire and Dewey Green in Hertfordshire. These locations likely took their names from someone with the surname DEWEY who lived or owned land there.

Notable individuals with the surname DEWEY throughout history include:

1. George Dewey (1837-1917), an American naval officer who led the victorious naval Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War in 1898.

2. John Dewey (1859-1952), an influential American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer, considered one of the founders of the philosophical movement known as pragmatism.

3. Thomas Edmund Dewey (1902-1971), an American lawyer, prosecutor, and politician who served as the 47th Governor of New York from 1943 to 1954.

4. Melvil Dewey (1851-1931), an American librarian and educator, best known for developing the Dewey Decimal Classification system for library cataloging.

5. Annie Dewey (1857-1944), an American botanist and educator, known for her work on the flora of New England and her contributions to the study of mosses.

Throughout its history, the surname DEWEY has undergone various spellings, including Dewy, Dewie, Dewye, and Duy, reflecting the regional variations and linguistic changes over time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dewey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dewey 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. Hampshire leads with 268 Deweys recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.59x.

County Total Index
Hampshire 268 10.59x
Middlesex 186 1.51x
Wiltshire 131 11.99x
Surrey 100 1.66x
Cambridgeshire 69 8.82x
Sussex 69 3.31x
Nottinghamshire 62 3.72x
Lincolnshire 48 2.43x
Kent 37 0.88x
Leicestershire 34 2.48x
Staffordshire 29 0.70x
Dorset 27 3.33x
Gloucestershire 26 1.07x
Lancashire 26 0.18x
Warwickshire 19 0.61x
Hertfordshire 16 1.88x
Essex 15 0.62x
Berkshire 12 1.29x
Devon 12 0.47x
Rutland 12 13.23x
Somerset 12 0.60x
Yorkshire 12 0.10x
Suffolk 11 0.73x
Northamptonshire 9 0.77x
Derbyshire 6 0.31x
Norfolk 5 0.26x
Royal Navy 3 2.04x
Worcestershire 3 0.19x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.27x
Cheshire 2 0.07x
Northumberland 1 0.05x
Oxfordshire 1 0.13x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.25x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lambeth in Surrey leads with 43 Deweys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.99x.

Place Total Index
Lambeth 43 3.99x
Portsea 40 8.06x
Brighton 34 8.09x
South Stoneham 32 58.28x
Shoreditch London 28 5.23x
Southampton St Mary 24 15.08x
Hackney London 22 3.18x
Donhead St Andrew 19 565.48x
Millbrook 17 26.67x
Michelmersh 16 325.87x
Witchford 16 855.62x
Cheshunt 14 47.04x
Isleworth 14 25.50x
Chelsea London 13 3.49x
Chitterne All Sts 13 714.29x
Shrewton 13 454.55x
New Windsor 12 38.51x
West Ham 12 2.23x
Wing 12 888.89x
Bourn 11 68.97x
Fareham 11 36.16x
Semley 11 379.31x
Chesterton 10 41.46x
Cliddesden 10 709.22x
Fulham London 10 5.58x
Greasley 10 26.62x
Ipsley 10 175.13x
Newington 10 2.19x
Selborne 10 194.17x
Shipton Bellinger 10 819.67x
Waterbeach 10 156.74x
Wentworth 10 1219.51x
Bristol St Paul In 9 13.95x
Funtington 9 191.90x
Ipswich St Clement 9 23.54x
Islington London 9 0.75x
Leicester St Margaret 9 2.70x
Plungar 9 841.12x
Reigate Foreign 9 13.81x
St Giles In Fields London 9 14.85x
St Pancras London 9 0.91x
Acton 8 11.05x
Barton St Peter 8 88.40x
Bedminster 8 4.28x
Burton Upon Trent 8 8.20x
Codford St Peter 8 592.59x
Croxton Keyrial 8 344.83x
Farnham 8 17.10x
Hammersmith London 8 2.63x
Lenton 8 20.40x
Linthorpe 8 10.95x
Nursling 8 197.53x
Old Sleaford 8 360.36x
Orcheston St George 8 975.61x
Stretford 8 9.92x
Balderton 7 153.85x
Basford 7 9.12x
Beckenham 7 12.71x
Bromley 7 10.90x
Clifton 7 5.72x
Hulme 7 2.29x
Kimpton 7 588.24x
Nottingham St Mary 7 1.63x
Oving 7 99.57x
Warminster 7 29.25x
Abbotts Ann 6 210.53x
Birmingham 6 0.58x
Bromley London 6 2.21x
Gillingham 6 43.07x
Hurstbourne Tarrant 6 169.49x
Maddington 6 350.88x
New Sealford 6 147.78x
Peterborough 6 7.13x
Poole St James 6 19.70x
Radford 6 7.10x
Ringwood 6 37.06x
Southampton All Sts 6 13.82x
Bishops Waltham 5 47.44x
Gloucester Barton St Mary 5 11.28x
Rushall 5 20.38x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 87
George 73
John 59
Charles 43
James 42
Henry 34
Thomas 18
Arthur 16
Samuel 15
Albert 14
Alfred 14
Edward 14
Frederick 14
Joseph 14
Robert 14
Walter 14
Harry 12
Ernest 10
Herbert 8
Richard 6
Frank 5
Daniel 4
Edwin 4
Percy 4
Wm. 4
Chas. 3
Jesse 3
Chas 2
Christopher 2
Francis 2
Fred 2
Fredk. 2
Jeremiah 2
Jos. 2
Lewis 2
Mathew 2
Shadrach 2
Stanley 2
Stephen 2
Sydney 2
Thos. 2
Arnold 1
Chas.A. 1
Emily 1
Eustance 1
Fred. 1
Fredck.G. 1
Hugh 1
Jas. 1
Jim 1

FAQ

Dewey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dewey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,261 people were recorded with the Dewey surname. That placed it at #3,232 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dewey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,582 in 2016. That gives Dewey a modern rank of #3,920.

What does the Dewey surname mean?

Derived from the French surname Deuyet, likely referring to someone from the village of Douai in northern France.

What does the Dewey map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Dewey 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.