2000
#12,256
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,329
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Dewees
An English surname derived from the French place name "Wées" or referring to someone living near a dike or ditch.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,680 Americans carry the last name Dewees. That puts it at #12,615 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 127,893 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dewees 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.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 127,893
Census rank
#12,615
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,337 bearers of the surname Dewees in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12615th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dewees, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Black (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dewees
Among Census respondents with the surname Dewees, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Black (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Dewees 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 Dewees surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.8% · 2,051
- Two or more races4.5% · 106
- Black or African American3.2% · 75
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dewees
Dewees 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
#12,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,465
+136 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 304 places
2020
#12,615
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,337
-128 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,256 | 2,329 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,560 | 2,465 | 0.84 | +136 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 304 places |
| 2020 | #12,615 | 2,337 | 0.78 | -128 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 55 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 Dewees 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 | #12,560 | #12,615 | -0.4% |
| Count | 2,465 | 2,337 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.78 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dewees bearers went from 2,465 to 2,337 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,560 to #12,615.
FAQ
Dewees surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dewees?
Name Census estimates that about 2,680 living Americans carry the surname Dewees. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 127,893 residents.
How common is Dewees?
Dewees ranks #12,615 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,337 people with the surname Dewees. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,680), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Dewees.
Has Dewees become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dewees went from 2,465 recorded bearers to 2,337. That is a decrease of 128 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,560 to #12,615.
What does the Census say about the background of Dewees?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dewees, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Black (3.2%). 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 Dewees in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.8% (2,051 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dewees appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.8%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Black (3.2%). 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 Dewees (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 Dewees mean?
An English surname derived from the French place name "Wées" or referring to someone living near a dike or ditch. 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 Dewees (0.78 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 common is the surname Dewees?
Find out how common the surname Dewees is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.