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

Drew, 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 Drew surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Drew in America

Drew is the 1513th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Drew surname appeared 23,722 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 people would have the surname Drew.

We can also compare 2010 data for Drew 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 Drew

The surname Drew has its origins in England, with the earliest records dating back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English word "drycraeft," which means "magical power" or "sorcery." The name likely referred to someone who was believed to possess mystical abilities or worked as a practitioner of folk magic.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries for individuals with the surname Drew or similar spellings, such as Dryw or Dreu. These entries indicate that the name was present in various counties, including Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Drew was Roger Drew, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195. Another early bearer of the name was Walter Drew, who lived in the village of Broad Windsor in Dorset during the late 13th century.

The surname Drew has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the most famous was Samuel Drew (1765-1833), an English philosopher, metaphysician, and writer who authored works such as "An Essay on the Immateriality and Immortality of the Soul" and "An Essay on the Identity and General Resurrection of the Human Body."

Another prominent individual with the Drew surname was John Drew (1853-1927), an Irish-American actor and theatre manager who co-founded the celebrated Barrymore family of actors. His son, John Drew Jr. (1878-1912), also had a successful career as an actor on the stage and in silent films.

In the world of literature, Benjamin Drew (1812-1903) was an American abolitionist and writer who published "The Refugee: A North-Side View of Life" in 1856, which chronicled the experiences of fugitive slaves in Canada.

The surname Drew has also been associated with places and landmarks. For example, the village of Drewsteignton in Devon, England, derives its name from the Old English words "drycraeft" and "tun," meaning "the settlement of the practitioners of magic."

While the origins of the surname Drew can be traced back to England in the 11th century, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand, carried by individuals who emigrated from the British Isles.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Drew

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

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 Drew 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 Drew 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 Drew was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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