How common is the surname Dewey?

12,249 people in the United States had the surname Dewey in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 25,206 Americans. It ranked 2,926th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Dewey?

John Dewey, American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer (1859–1952), followed by Melvil Dewey.

Where is the surname Dewey most common?

Wikidata records people named Dewey in the United States.

How do you pronounce Dewey?

Dewey is /ˈduːi/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Dewey getting more or less common?

More common. 12,174 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 12,249 in 2010, up 0.6%.

Is Dewey also a first name?

Yes. Dewey is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Dewey

A French place surname, carried by 12,249 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈduːi/ 2 syllables Soundex D000 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Dewey is more common than 98.2% of them.

Origin

French origin

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

Dewey is a place surname: taken from where an ancestor lived or came from.

One of 791 French surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 12,249 people named Dewey in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 25,206 Americans. That is up 0.6% since 2000, when the Census counted 12,174.

#2,926

rank among US surnames

12,249

people in 2010

4.2

per 100,000 Americans

+0.6%

change since 2000 (was #2,716)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#2,917	Alicea	12,287	25,128
#2,918	Broughton	12,273	25,156
#2,919	Oglesby	12,271	25,161
#2,920	Cáceres	12,269	25,165
#2,921	Braxton	12,268	25,167
#2,922	Ashton	12,263	25,177
#2,924	Begum	12,255	25,193

Who is named Dewey

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

92% of people named Dewey identified as white (not Hispanic), 2.0% as two or more races and 1.9% as American Indian and Alaska Native.

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

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Deweys

6 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

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, born 1978
Chester Dewey
American botanist, geologist, chemist and lecturer in medical colleges (1784-1867)
Edward H. Dewey
American alternative medic (1837–1904)

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Duey

Surnames that sound like Dewey

Dewey has the Soundex code D000, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code D000.

Other French surnames

All 791 French surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Dewey come from?: Possibly from a place name in Northern France, Douai. Welsh origin from Dewi (David) has also been suggested.
How common is the surname Dewey?: 12,249 people in the United States had the surname Dewey in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 25,206 Americans. It ranked 2,926th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Dewey?: In the 2010 Census, 92% of people named Dewey identified as white (not Hispanic), and 2.0% as two or more races.
Who is the most famous person named Dewey?: John Dewey, American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer (1859–1952), followed by Melvil Dewey.
Where is the surname Dewey most common?: Wikidata records people named Dewey in the United States.
How do you pronounce Dewey?: Dewey is /ˈduːi/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Dewey?: Dewey is a place surname, taken from where an ancestor lived or came from.
Is the surname Dewey getting more or less common?: More common. 12,174 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 12,249 in 2010, up 0.6%.
What are other spellings of Dewey?: Duey.
Is Dewey also a first name?: Yes. Dewey is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.