2000
#10,900
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,680
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Dewar
A Scottish occupational surname referring to a keeper of animals, from the Gaelic word "deoradh" meaning "pilgrim" or "stranger."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,150 Americans carry the last name Dewar. That puts it at #11,048 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,811 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dewar surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Dewar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 108,811
Census rank
#11,048
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,747 bearers of the surname Dewar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11048th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dewar, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dewar
The surname Dewar originated in Scotland and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Scottish Gaelic word "deabhair," which means "able fighter" or "skilled person." The name was likely given as a descriptive name to someone who was known for their skill in battle or a particular craft.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where it appears as "Dewere." This document contains the names of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England after the Scottish Wars of Independence.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms, such as "Deuere" and "Dewere," in Scottish charters and records. One notable bearer of the name was Sir Robert Dewar, a Scottish knight who fought alongside King Robert the Bruce in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.
The Dewar family has a long history in Scotland, with several distinguished members throughout the centuries. One of the most famous was Sir Thomas Dewar (1864-1930), a Scottish whisky distiller and entrepreneur who founded the Dewar's whisky brand. He was also a philanthropist and served as Lord Provost of Perth.
Another notable Dewar was Sir James Dewar (1842-1923), a Scottish chemist and physicist who is best known for his pioneering work on the liquefaction of gases and the study of low-temperature phenomena. He was the inventor of the Dewar vacuum flask, which is widely used for storing cryogenic materials.
In the literary world, Sir Walter Dewar (1897-1981) was a Scottish writer and historian who wrote extensively on Scottish history and culture. He served as the Rector of the University of Aberdeen and was awarded the prestigious Saltire Society Book of the Year Award.
The Dewar name has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Dewartown and Dewarknowe, which are located in the Scottish Borders region. These place names may have derived from the surname or vice versa, as it was common for families to take their names from the areas they inhabited.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dewar
Among Census respondents with the surname Dewar, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Dewar bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Dewar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.2% · 2,011
- Black or African American16.6% · 457
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 128
- Two or more races4.0% · 109
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dewar
Dewar appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#11,168
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,833
+153 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 268 places
2020
#11,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,747
-86 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Up 120 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,900 | 2,680 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,168 | 2,833 | 0.96 | +153 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 268 places |
| 2020 | #11,048 | 2,747 | 0.92 | -86 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 120 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Dewar surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,168 | #11,048 | 1.1% |
| Count | 2,833 | 2,747 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 0.92 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dewar bearers went from 2,833 to 2,747 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 120 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,168 to #11,048.
FAQ
Dewar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dewar?
Name Census estimates that about 3,150 living Americans carry the surname Dewar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,811 residents.
How common is Dewar?
Dewar ranks #11,048 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,747 people with the surname Dewar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,150), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Dewar.
Has Dewar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dewar went from 2,833 recorded bearers to 2,747. That is a decrease of 86 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,168 to #11,048.
What does the Census say about the background of Dewar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dewar, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Hispanic (4.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dewar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.2% (2,011 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dewar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.2%), Black (16.6%), Hispanic (4.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Dewar (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Dewar mean?
A Scottish occupational surname referring to a keeper of animals, from the Gaelic word "deoradh" meaning "pilgrim" or "stranger." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Dewar (0.92 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Dewar?
You can see how common the surname Dewar is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.