Dewey

Last seen for girls in 1956 at #5,952 · #3,848 for boys in 2025, 28 births
Given to boys 98.4% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1898 · 1,115 births
Debut · boys
5 births
In top 100 · boys
3 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
34,373
since 1887

Dewey over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201941peak #19, 1898boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#3,84828
2024#3,60531
2023#4,45623
2022#5,01919
2021#3,29735
2020#3,57030
2019#3,79428
2018#3,99326
2017#3,78128
2016#5,55516
2015#5,28917
2014#5,25217
2013#3,66128
2012#3,29733
2011#4,50921
2010#4,67820
2009#4,03525
2008#3,16536
2007#2,81142
2006#3,68627
2005#3,31930
2004#2,74138
2003#3,11930
2002#2,81733
2001#3,51224
2000#2,80532
1999#2,86529
1998#1,93150
1997#2,26037
1996#1,81750
1995#2,21036
1994#1,89444
1993#1,69951
1992#1,37168
1991#1,44362
1990#1,38365
1989#1,21977
1988#1,15476
1987#1,11474
1986#98388
1985#1,13367
1984#91393
1983#88499
1982#853108
1981#865105
1980#758134
1979#727142
1978#774118
1977#723139
1976#722134
1975#630164
1974#639159
1973#653149
1972#591182
1971#541220
1970#535228
1969#534216
1968#503225
1967#518208
1966#494235
1965#473271
1964#472281
1963#460291
1962#476279
1961#465303
1960#452318
1959#440328
1958#432331
1957#408367
1956#5,9525#382389
1955#361403
1954#364392
1953#350390
1952#339420
1951#333418
1950#4,7386#340393
1949#4,2357#316461
1948#266615
1947#293553
1946#4,9605#282522
1945#273478
1944#4,5745#213653
1943#248566
1942#3,7387#265506
1941#4,4205#256476
1940#2,9639#229542
1939#4,2505#241478
1938#3,4507#238501
1937#2,9409#241479
1936#3,7016#229500
1935#2,43912#230503
1934#2,56711#228514
1933#2,40412#221520
1932#2,36513#212583
1931#2,58111#211597
1930#1,93418#205653
1929#2,01117#208634
1928#2,49713#202675
1927#2,43314#197720
1926#2,35115#188767
1925#2,11918#181798
1924#2,97311#186773
1923#2,09118#185762
1922#2,61213#193714
1921#2,28216#184762
1920#2,89911#208619
1919#2,38414#205607
1918#1,88720#223556
1917#3,3448#247417
1916#3,9196#268357
1915#301286
1914#2,8767#316205
1913#2,5407#302172
1912#2,6346#276166
1911#248107
1910#26187
1909#22691
1908#20499
1907#2,0615#20793
1906#1,7276#21383
1905#18499
1904#18597
1903#1,4407#133140
1902#1,7935#139136
1901#1,3397#121137
1900#1,3199#75345
1899#62924#39499
1898#305104#191,115
1897#89513#111158
1896#22463
1895#34728
1894#48017
1893#7688
1892#7928
1891#6359
1890#45816
1889#52513
1888#8157
1887#9215
1886
1885
1884
1883
1882
1881
1880
First appearance
1887

The first year at least five boys were named Dewey! It came in at #921, and was given to 5 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1887–1888, when fewer than 8 boys a year got the name.

See more about Dewey
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 243 spots since 2024 (#3,605#3,848)
  • 278 spots since 2020 (#3,570#3,848)
  • 1,441 spots since 2015 (#5,289#3,848)
  • Biggest jump: 290 spots in 1889 (#815#525)
  • Biggest drop: 220 spots in 1985 (#913#1,133)
Rise & fade · boys
11 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1887
  • Peaked 1898 at #19 (1,115 births)
  • Births halved by 1899, 1 yr later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 3 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 3 yrs · run 1898–1900
  • Top 1,000: 99 yrs · run 1887–1984
Share of babies · boys
1 in 110
  • Highest: 1 in 110 boys born in 1898 were named Dewey (0.91%)
  • Latest: 1 in 61,003 boys born in 2025 (0.00%)
Era · boys
The 1920s
  • 21.0% of all boys named Dewey (7,224) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s25#525 (1889)#754
1890s1,921#19 (1898)#387
1900s1,320#75 (1900)#169
1910s2,960#205 (1919)#265
1920s7,224#181 (1925)#193
1930s5,328#205 (1930)#226
1940s5,372#213 (1944)#264
1950s3,831#333 (1951)#375
1960s2,627#452 (1960)#485
1970s1,635#535 (1970)#654
1980s921#758 (1980)#988
1990s492#1,371 (1992)#1,887
2000s317#2,741 (2004)#3,201
2010s234#3,297 (2012)#4,381
2020s166#3,297 (2021)#3,966

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Dewey in 1941

girls
#4,420
5 births · 1 in 241,624 girls
boys
#256
476 births · 1 in 2,581 boys

Top girls' names in 1941

  1. #1Mary58,048
  2. #2Barbara39,543
  3. #3Patricia36,905
  4. #4Carol24,187
  5. #5Linda23,721
  6. #6Judith23,320
  7. #7Betty20,905
  8. #8Nancy20,885
  9. #9Sandra19,500
  10. #10Shirley16,954
  11. #4,420Dewey5

Top boys' names in 1941

  1. #1James66,751
  2. #2Robert64,247
  3. #3John57,520
  4. #4William47,798
  5. #5Richard39,112
  6. #6Charles32,742
  7. #7David30,553
  8. #8Thomas26,641
  9. #9Ronald24,407
  10. #10Donald22,641
  11. #256Dewey476
More about 1941

girls

1,208,119 girls got a published name in 1941; 1 in 241,624 of them was named Dewey, which outranked 13.1% of the 5,085 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.5% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Dewey
  1. #3,954Zeola6
  2. #3,954Zilphia6
  3. #3,954Zonia6
  4. #4,420Dewey5
  5. #4,420Adah5
  6. #4,420Adonna5
  7. #4,420Adra5

Tied with 665 names at #4,420; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1940
Risers
  1. 2,130Jerilyn#2,737#607
  2. 1,258Trina#2,109#851
  3. 372Karan#1,347#975
  4. 371Kristine#1,313#942
  5. 356Sherri#1,186#830
Fallers
  1. 447Kenneth#971#1,418
  2. 421Janna#997#1,418
  3. 366Beatriz#989#1,355
  4. 338Merna#997#1,335
  5. 337Eldora#957#1,294

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,228,318 boys got a published name in 1941; 1 in 2,581 of them was named Dewey, which outranked 93.6% of the 4,002 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.6% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Dewey
  1. #253Teddy484
  2. #254Merle482
  3. #255Woodrow481
  4. #256Dewey476
  5. #257Jacob466
  6. #258Ruben460
  7. #259Jan459
Biggest movers since 1940
Risers
  1. 586Gay#1,573#987
  2. 375Issac#1,251#876
  3. 363Otho#1,334#971
  4. 338Lawrance#1,208#870
  5. 313Ford#1,251#938
Fallers
  1. 508Wilkie#792#1,300
  2. 452Arlis#994#1,446
  3. 394Ruby#939#1,333
  4. 359Gonzalo#850#1,209
  5. 325Lenord#929#1,254

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1941