Dewey first name popularity, history and meaning

Find out how popular the first name Dewey has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Meaning of Dewey

A masculine name from the Norman French meaning "the highly esteemed one".

Popularity of Dewey by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Dewey is exclusively a male name.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 23 male babies and 0 female babies born with the name Dewey.

Year Male Count Female Count
2023 23 0
2022 19 0
2021 35 0
2020 30 0
2019 28 0
2018 26 0
2017 28 0
2016 16 0
2015 17 0
2014 17 0
2013 28 0
2012 32 0
2011 21 0
2010 20 0
2009 25 0
2008 36 0
2007 42 0
2006 27 0
2005 30 0
2004 38 0
2003 30 0
2002 33 0
2001 24 0
2000 32 0
1999 29 0
1998 50 0
1997 37 0
1996 50 0
1995 36 0
1994 44 0
1993 51 0
1992 68 0
1991 62 0
1990 65 0
1989 77 0
1988 76 0
1987 74 0
1986 88 0
1985 67 0
1984 93 0
1983 99 0
1982 108 0
1981 105 0
1980 135 0
1979 142 0
1978 118 0
1977 139 0
1976 134 0
1975 164 0
1974 159 0

The history of the first name Dewey

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.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Dewey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dewey, please contact us.

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"Dewey first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 31, 2024. http://namecensus.com/first-names/dewey-meaning-and-history/.

"Dewey first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/first-names/dewey-meaning-and-history/. Accessed 31 October, 2024

Dewey first name popularity, history and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/first-names/dewey-meaning-and-history/.

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