The first name Dewey
A boy’s name.
Pronounced /ˈduːi/ 2 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Possibly from a place name in Northern France, Douai. Welsh origin from Dewi (David) has also been suggested.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 3 boys were named Dewey, making it the 5,137th most popular boys’ name.
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Dewey with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Dewey at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 28 boys born in the United States were named Dewey, the 3,870th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1898, when 1,115 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Nicknames and spellings
Other spellings and forms
- Duey
Famous people named Dewey
16 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Dewey MartinAmerican actor (1923-2018)
- Dewey RedmanAmerican saxophonist (1931–2006)
- Dewey F. BartlettAmerican politician (1919–1979)
- Dewey RobinsonActor (1898-1950)
- Dewey BunnellAmerican folk-rock musician, founder of the group America, born 1952
- Dewey MartinCanadian rock drummer, best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield (1940–2009)
- Dewey JohnsonAmerican lawyer and politician from Minnesota (1899-1941)
- Dewey TomkoAmerican professional poker player (born 1946)
- James WatsonAmerican molecular biologist, geneticist, zoologist and Nobel Laureate (1928–2025)
- Miles DavisAmerican jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer (1926–1991)
- Phil BryantAmerican politician, born 1954
- Slim WhitmanAmerican country music singer-songwriter and guitarist, 1923–2013
Questions
- What does the name Dewey mean?
- Possibly from a place name in Northern France, Douai. Welsh origin from Dewi (David) has also been suggested.
- How popular is the name Dewey?
- In 2025, 3 boys born in England and Wales were named Dewey, ranking 5,137th.
- Is Dewey a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 98% of the 34,920 US babies named Dewey since 1880 were boys.
- When was Dewey most popular?
- 1898 in the United States, when 1,115 babies were named Dewey, its highest rank at 19th.
- How do you pronounce Dewey?
- Dewey is /ˈduːi/, 2 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Dewey?
- Duey.
- Is Dewey also a surname?
- Yes. Dewey is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.