The name Dewey is an English surname that later became a given name. It originated as a toponymic surname, derived from the Old English word "deaw" meaning "dew" or "moisture." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a dewy meadow or wetland area.

In its earliest recorded use as a surname, it appeared as "de la Dewe" in the 13th century Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, England. Over time, the surname evolved into the simplified form "Dewey." As a first name, Dewey became popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly in the United States.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the given name Dewey was Dewey Bates, an American politician who served as the 16th Governor of Delaware from 1873 to 1877. Another notable figure was Admiral George Dewey (1837-1917), a celebrated naval commander in the Spanish-American War, who became a national hero for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898.

The name gained further prominence with Melvil Dewey (1851-1931), an American librarian and educator who developed the Dewey Decimal Classification system for organizing library collections. This system, introduced in 1876, revolutionized library organization and is still widely used today.

In the field of philosophy, John Dewey (1859-1952) was a prominent American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer. He was a leading proponent of the philosophical school of pragmatism and made significant contributions to the development of functional psychology and progressive education.

Another individual worth mentioning is Thomas E. Dewey (1902-1971), an American lawyer and politician who served as the 47th Governor of New York from 1943 to 1954. He was also the Republican Party's nominee for President of the United States in 1944 and 1948, but lost both times to Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, respectively.