Dewell
A masculine name perhaps derived from a combination of "dew" and "well".
Name Census estimates that about 48 living Americans carry the first name Dewell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dewell today is around 71 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dewell births was 1922 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dewell. 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 Dewell is about 71 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Dewells were born before 1965.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Dewell. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
48
~ 1 in 7,140,715 Americans
Peak year
1922
11 babies that year
Average age
71
years old
1992 SSA rank
#8,763
Tracked since 1914
Census
Dewell in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 142 people with the first name Dewell, which placed it at #46,696 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#46,696
National first-name rank
People counted
142
142 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
57.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dewell
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dewell is White at 57.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.7%) and Hispanic (17.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Dewell described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Dewell at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.0% · 81
- Black or African American19.7% · 28
- Hispanic or Latino17.6% · 25
- Two or more races2.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 2
Popularity
Dewell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dewell from the 1910s through to the 1990s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 80 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dewell 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 Dewell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dewells live
Origin
Meaning and history of Dewell
The name Dewell is believed to have originated from the Old English language, dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain, roughly between the 5th and 11th centuries. It is derived from the Old English words "deawl" or "deofl," which translates to "devil" or "demon." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals with a perceived mischievous or devilish nature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dewell can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Deuuell," likely referring to a landowner or tenant at the time.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Dewell. One such individual was Dewell Brainerd (1678-1747), an American Congregational minister and missionary who worked among the Native American tribes in New England and New Jersey. He played a significant role in spreading Christianity and establishing churches in these regions.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Dewell Davis (1808-1890), an American lawyer and politician from Missouri. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1855 to 1857, representing the 5th congressional district of Missouri.
In the realm of literature, Dewell Harington (1866-1934) was an English writer and poet who gained recognition for his works exploring themes of nature, love, and spirituality. His collection of poems, "Songs of the Wild," published in 1895, received critical acclaim.
Moving into the modern era, Dewell Crisp (1922-2006) was an American writer and educator known for his work on African American literature and culture. He served as a professor at various universities, including Howard University and the University of Pennsylvania, and authored several books on literary criticism and cultural studies.
Dewell Bronson (1964-), an American entrepreneur and business executive, is another notable figure with this name. He co-founded and served as the CEO of a successful software company, leading it to become a prominent player in the industry.
It is worth noting that while the name Dewell has historical roots and has been borne by several individuals over the centuries, it has remained relatively uncommon compared to other given names.
People
Dewell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dewell 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
Dewell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dewell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 48 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dewell 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 7,140,715 US residents.
Is Dewell a common name?
We classify Dewell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 53.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 206 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dewell most popular?
The single biggest year for Dewell was 1922, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dewell is about 71 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Dewell in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 142 people with the name Dewell, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #46,696 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Dewell in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Dewell?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Dewell leans strongly male. 133 people counted with this name were male (95.0%), compared with 7 female bearers (5.0%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Dewell?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dewell is White at 57.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.7%) and Hispanic (17.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Dewell most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Dewell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.0% (81 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Dewell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dewell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dewell 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 Dewell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dewell 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 Dewell 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.
How many people are called Dewell?
You can see how many people share the name Dewell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.