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#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201895peak #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.

Where Dewey is popular in 1895

The SSA only publishes names by state from 1910 on.

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 1895

boys
#347
28 births · 1 in 4,193 boys

Top boys' names in 1895

  1. #1John8,320
  2. #2William7,277
  3. #3James5,335
  4. #4George4,289
  5. #5Charles3,633
  6. #6Frank3,012
  7. #7Joseph2,992
  8. #8Robert2,635
  9. #9Henry2,221
  10. #10Edward2,203
  11. #347Dewey28
More about 1895

boys

117,393 boys got a published name in 1895; 1 in 4,193 of them was named Dewey, which outranked 72.0% of the 1,241 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 35.7% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Dewey
  1. #340Nick29
  2. #340Randolph29
  3. #340Troy29
  4. #347Dewey28
  5. #347Clem28
  6. #347Clement28
  7. #347Gene28
  8. #358Aloysius27
  9. #358Bryan27
  10. #358Burton27

Tied with 10 names at #347; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1894
Risers
  1. ↑ 573Alma#1,074 → #501
  2. ↑ 463Delmar#954 → #491
  3. ↑ 453Connie#954 → #501
  4. ↑ 434Bradford#1,074 → #640
  5. ↑ 434Brady#1,074 → #640
Fallers
  1. ↓ 536Beverly#543 → #1,079
  2. ↓ 512Boss#567 → #1,079
  3. ↓ 498Verner#480 → #978
  4. ↓ 457Abel#521 → #978
  5. ↓ 457Justin#521 → #978

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

See the top 100 for 1895 →