2000
#8,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,800
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.41
Rare Last name
Dewberry
An English occupational surname referring to someone who harvested or sold berries, particularly dewberries or blackberries.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,347 Americans carry the last name Dewberry. That puts it at #8,361 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,848 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dewberry 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 Dewberry with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 78,848
Census rank
#8,361
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,791 bearers of the surname Dewberry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8361st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dewberry, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.0%. The next largest groups are White (43.8%) and Two or More Races (6.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dewberry
The surname Dewberry is of English origin and can be traced back to the late 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "deaw" meaning dew and "berian" meaning berry, suggesting a connection to a place where dewberries, a type of wild blackberry, were found in abundance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, where a William Dewbery is mentioned. This suggests that the name may have originated in the West Midlands region of England.
During the medieval period, surnames were often derived from occupations, locations, or physical characteristics. In the case of Dewberry, it is likely that the name was initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who lived near a place where dewberries grew in profusion.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, there is a reference to a place called "Dewebrigge" in Gloucestershire, which may have been the origin of the surname for some families.
Some notable individuals with the surname Dewberry include:
1. Thomas Dewberry (c. 1600-1673), an English Quaker minister and one of the earliest proponents of the Quaker movement.
2. John Dewberry (1693-1783), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the 18th century.
3. William Dewberry (1836-1906), an English cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club in the 19th century.
4. Clarence Dewberry (1899-1979), an American blues musician and songwriter from Mississippi.
5. Harriet Dewberry (1858-1932), an American educator and activist who played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement in Virginia.
Over the centuries, variations in spelling emerged, including Dewbery, Dewbery, and Dewbury. Additionally, the name may have been influenced by place names such as Dewsbury, a town in West Yorkshire, England, which could have contributed to its evolution and geographical distribution.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dewberry
Among Census respondents with the surname Dewberry, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.0%. The next largest groups are White (43.8%) and Two or More Races (6.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Dewberry 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 Dewberry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American46.0% · 1,744
- White43.8% · 1,660
- Two or more races6.3% · 238
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 113
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dewberry
Dewberry 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
#8,361
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,960
+160 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 312 places
2020
#8,361
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,791
-169 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement No rank change
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,049 | 3,800 | 1.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,361 | 3,960 | 1.34 | +160 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 312 places |
| 2020 | #8,361 | 3,791 | 1.27 | -169 bearers (-4.3%) | No rank change |
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 Dewberry 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 | #8,361 | #8,361 | 0.0% |
| Count | 3,960 | 3,791 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.34 | 1.27 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dewberry bearers went from 3,960 to 3,791 (-4.3% change). The surname held its position in the national ranking, remaining at #8,361.
FAQ
Dewberry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dewberry?
Name Census estimates that about 4,347 living Americans carry the surname Dewberry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,848 residents.
How common is Dewberry?
Dewberry ranks #8,361 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 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 3,791 people with the surname Dewberry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,347), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 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 Dewberry.
Has Dewberry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dewberry went from 3,960 recorded bearers to 3,791. That is a decrease of 169 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it stayed at #8,361.
What does the Census say about the background of Dewberry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dewberry, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.0%. The next largest groups are White (43.8%) and Two or More Races (6.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dewberry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.0% (1,744 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dewberry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (46.0%), White (43.8%), Two or More Races (6.3%). 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 Dewberry (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 Dewberry mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who harvested or sold berries, particularly dewberries or blackberries. 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 Dewberry (1.27 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 Americans have the surname Dewberry?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.