# Dewey (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/dewey/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈduːi/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Duey |
| US babies named this | 34,920 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 34,373 / 547 (2% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 3, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Possibly from a place name in Northern France, Douai. Welsh origin from Dewi (David) has also been suggested.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1933 | 12 | 2,435 |
| 1934 | 11 | 2,605 |
| 1935 | 12 | 2,464 |
| 1936 | 6 | 3,804 |
| 1937 | 9 | 2,993 |
| 1938 | 7 | 3,548 |
| 1939 | 5 | 4,401 |
| 1940 | 9 | 3,017 |
| 1941 | 5 | 4,565 |
| 1942 | 7 | 3,830 |
| 1944 | 5 | 4,729 |
| 1946 | 5 | 5,125 |
| 1949 | 7 | 4,335 |
| 1950 | 6 | 4,872 |
| 1956 | 5 | 6,188 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 21 | 4,540 |
| 2012 | 33 | 3,318 |
| 2013 | 28 | 3,684 |
| 2014 | 17 | 5,305 |
| 2015 | 17 | 5,352 |
| 2016 | 16 | 5,614 |
| 2017 | 28 | 3,800 |
| 2018 | 26 | 4,020 |
| 2019 | 28 | 3,824 |
| 2020 | 30 | 3,594 |
| 2021 | 35 | 3,315 |
| 2022 | 19 | 5,073 |
| 2023 | 23 | 4,492 |
| 2024 | 31 | 3,628 |
| 2025 | 28 | 3,870 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | 5,137 |

## People named Dewey

- Dewey Martin, American actor (1923-2018)
- Dewey Redman, American saxophonist (1931–2006)
- Dewey F. Bartlett, American politician (1919–1979)
- Dewey Robinson, actor (1898-1950)
- Dewey Bunnell, American folk-rock musician, founder of the group America
- Dewey Martin, Canadian rock drummer, best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield (1940–2009)
- Dewey Johnson, American lawyer and politician from Minnesota (1899-1941)
- Dewey Tomko, American professional poker player (born 1946)
- James Watson, American molecular biologist, geneticist, zoologist and Nobel Laureate (1928–2025)
- Miles Davis, American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer (1926–1991)
- Phil Bryant, American politician
- Slim Whitman, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.