# Dewey (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/dewey/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Old French.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | French |
| Type | place, taken from where an ancestor lived or came from |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 12,249 |
| US rank (2010) | 2,926 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 25,206 people |
| Change since 2000 | +0.6% (12,174 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈduːi/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Duey |

## Etymology

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

## Who carries it

Share of people named Dewey in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 92% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 1.9% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1.9% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.9% |
| Two or more races | 2.0% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Dewey in the United States.

## People named Dewey

- John Dewey, American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer (1859–1952)
- Melvil Dewey, American librarian (1851–1931)
- Thomas E. Dewey, American politician (1902–1971)
- Tommy Dewey, American actor
- Chester Dewey, American botanist, geologist, chemist and lecturer in medical colleges (1784-1867)
- Edward H. Dewey, American alternative medic (1837–1904)

## Similar surnames

Dee, Dew, De, Day, Do, Dye, Dow, Dao, Du, Doe, Dai, Dey.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.