2000
#13,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,979
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Dews
Derived from the Middle English word "dew," referring to someone who lived near a wet or marshy area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,176 Americans carry the last name Dews. That puts it at #14,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,516 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dews 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 Dews with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 157,516
Census rank
#14,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,898 bearers of the surname Dews in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dews, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.5%. The next largest groups are White (40.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dews
The surname Dews has its origins in England and can be traced back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "deaw," meaning dew, which likely referred to someone who lived near a dewy area or a place where dew frequently formed.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dews appears in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195, where it is listed as "Robertus de Deus." This spelling variation provides insight into the evolution of the name over time.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a compilation of records commissioned by William the Conqueror, there is a mention of the place name "Deudesfel," which may have been the origin of some Dews surnames. This place name likely referred to a dewy field or meadow.
The surname Dews has also been associated with certain place names, such as Dewsbury in West Yorkshire, which was formerly known as "Deuesbyr" in the 13th century. This connection suggests that some individuals may have adopted the surname based on their place of origin.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Dews was John Dews, who was born in Lincolnshire, England, around 1460. Another notable figure was William Dews, a merchant from London who lived during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, a notable bearer of the surname was Thomas Dews, a landowner and farmer from Gloucestershire, England, who was born in 1620 and died in 1698.
During the 18th century, a prominent individual with the surname Dews was Robert Dews, a scholar and clergyman from Oxford, England. He was born in 1725 and died in 1798.
In the 19th century, one of the most well-known individuals with the surname Dews was Sir John Dews, a British diplomat and politician who served as a Member of Parliament from 1832 to 1847. He was born in 1785 and died in 1863.
Throughout its history, the surname Dews has been primarily concentrated in England, particularly in the counties of Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, and Gloucestershire, reflecting its English origins and early recorded presence in these regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dews
Among Census respondents with the surname Dews, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.5%. The next largest groups are White (40.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Dews 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 Dews surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American52.5% · 996
- White40.0% · 759
- Two or more races5.0% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dews
Dews 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
#14,453
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,067
+88 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 464 places
2020
#14,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,898
-169 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 501 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,989 | 1,979 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,453 | 2,067 | 0.70 | +88 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 464 places |
| 2020 | #14,954 | 1,898 | 0.63 | -169 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 501 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 Dews 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 | #14,453 | #14,954 | -3.5% |
| Count | 2,067 | 1,898 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.63 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dews bearers went from 2,067 to 1,898 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 501 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,453 to #14,954.
FAQ
Dews surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dews?
Name Census estimates that about 2,176 living Americans carry the surname Dews. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,516 residents.
How common is Dews?
Dews ranks #14,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,898 people with the surname Dews. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,176), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Dews.
Has Dews become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dews went from 2,067 recorded bearers to 1,898. That is a decrease of 169 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,453 to #14,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Dews?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dews, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.5%. The next largest groups are White (40.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Dews in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.5% (996 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dews appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (52.5%), White (40.0%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Dews (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 Dews mean?
Derived from the Middle English word "dew," referring to someone who lived near a wet or marshy area. 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 Dews (0.63 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 Dews?
You can see how many people have the last name Dews on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.