Find out how popular the last name Dewees is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Dewees.

Dewees, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Dewees surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dewees in America

Dewees is the 12560th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dewees surname appeared 2,465 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Dewees.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dewees to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Dewees

The surname DEWEES has its origins in the Low Countries, particularly in the regions of modern-day Belgium and the Netherlands. It is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Dutch words "de" and "wees," which together translate to "the orphan" or "the orphan child."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the DEWEES surname can be found in a Dutch census record from the city of Antwerp, dated 1456. In this document, a man named Jans Dewees is listed as a resident of the city. Another early reference to the name is found in a legal document from the Dutch province of Zeeland, dated 1517, which mentions a woman named Grietje Dewees.

The DEWEES surname is also believed to have been associated with certain place names in the Low Countries. For instance, there is a village called Wees in the Belgian province of Antwerp, and it is possible that the name originated as a locative surname for residents of this or similar locations.

One notable figure bearing the DEWEES surname was Pieter Dewees, a Dutch painter who lived in the 17th century (c. 1620-1692). Dewees was known for his still-life paintings and was a member of the famous Leiden school of Dutch Golden Age painting.

Another individual of historical significance was Jan Dewees (1768-1841), a Dutch-born American farmer and soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War. He later settled in Pennsylvania and became a prominent landowner in the region.

In the 19th century, a man named William Dewees (1823-1907) gained recognition as a prominent physician and author in Philadelphia. He wrote several books on medical topics, including a treatise on the diseases of children.

The DEWEES surname also has ties to the American Civil War. Samuel Dewees (1838-1922) was a Union Army officer who served in several major battles, including the Battle of Gettysburg. He later became a successful businessman in Pennsylvania.

Finally, a more recent figure of note was John Dewees (1894-1971), an American artist and illustrator who was known for his work in the field of book illustration. He illustrated numerous children's books and worked for various publishing houses throughout his career.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dewees

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Dewees.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Dewees was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Dewees has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!