Dewey is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Dewey means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Dewey across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Dewey has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Dewey is a boy name of Welsh origin meaning “beloved”. An anglicized form of the Welsh name Dewi, related to David.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 34,920 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 3 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Dewey per year, United States (1887 to 2025). United States peaked in 1898 (1,219/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2025 (3/yr).
Dewey has been one of the most popular baby names in the United States. It was most common in 1898, when it ranked #76 nationally (given to 1,219 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1890s.
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