Dewel
A name possibly derived from the French word "deuil" meaning mourning or grief.
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Dewel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dewel today is around 94 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dewel births was 1924 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dewel. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Dewel is about 94 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Dewels were born before 1942.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Dewel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1924
10 babies that year
Average age
94
years old
1937 SSA rank
#3,254
Tracked since 1921
Popularity
Dewel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dewel from the 1920s through to the 1930s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 46 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Dewel remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dewel by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Dewel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Dewel
The name Dewel has its origins in the ancient Sanskrit language, which was widely spoken across the Indian subcontinent during the first millennium BC. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "deval," which means "divine" or "celestial." The name likely emerged among the Brahmin priestly class, who were deeply immersed in the study of sacred texts and religious rituals.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dewel can be found in the Vedas, a collection of ancient Hindu scriptures composed between 1500 and 500 BC. The name is mentioned in the Rigveda, the oldest of the Vedic texts, where it is associated with a sage or rishi known for his profound spiritual wisdom.
In the 5th century AD, a renowned scholar and philosopher named Dewel Shastri gained widespread acclaim for his groundbreaking work in the field of logic and epistemology. His treatises on the nature of knowledge and reasoning had a profound influence on the intellectual discourse of his time.
During the 9th century AD, a Buddhist monk named Dewel Dharma traveled extensively throughout the Himalayan regions, spreading the teachings of the Buddha. His writings on meditation and mindfulness practices are still revered by many contemporary Buddhist traditions.
In the 12th century, a celebrated poet and mystic named Dewel Rumi emerged from the city of Konya, in present-day Turkey. His poetic works, which explored themes of love, spirituality, and the human condition, have been widely translated and continue to inspire readers across the globe.
The name Dewel also appears in the annals of the Mughal Empire, which ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent from the 16th to the 19th centuries. Dewel Khan, a skilled military commander and strategist, played a pivotal role in the conquest of Bengal during the reign of Akbar the Great in the late 16th century.
People
Dewel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dewel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Dewel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dewel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dewel going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Dewel a common name?
We classify Dewel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 65 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dewel most popular?
The single biggest year for Dewel was 1924, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dewel is about 94 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Dewel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dewel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dewel in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Dewel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dewel in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Dewel can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Dewel?
You can see how many people have the name Dewel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.