Boys' name · since 1887
Dewey
Dewey has 34,373 recorded births since 1887 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1898 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #626 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,855 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 34,373
- born since 1887
- 1920s
- peak decade
34,373 babies have been named Dewey since 1887, making it today's #3855 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Dewey has been recorded 34,373 times among boys since 1887, currently ranked #3855 nationally and more common than 72% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1887 to 2025.
- #626 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #3,855 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 34,373 born since 1887
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Dewey ranks #626 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,855 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 34,373 born since 1887, peaking in the 1920s.
- #626 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,855 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 34,373
- born since 1887
- 1920s
- peak decade
Dewey's 34,373 recorded births place it above 98.62% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
40 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by North Carolina.
How Dewey compares
34,373 Top 5% higher than 95% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Dewey's all-time total is 93x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Dewey | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 34,373 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,115 | 34 | 22,252 |
Dewey's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Dewey's SSA record in two at 1956 and the more recent half accounts for 23% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 77%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1887, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1898 peak of 1,115, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Dewey popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1887–2025
- Peak year (1898)
- 1,115
- Annual births at peak, across 139 years of records
Dewey popularity over time - girls
547 total births recorded since 1897 (Dewey as girls' name)
Dewey by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (7,224 births, 21% of the file).
1920s was Dewey's strongest decade.
7,224 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Dewey births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 25
1880s
25 births
- 1890s 1,921
1890s
1,921 births
- 1900s 1,320
1900s
1,320 births
- 1910s
1910s
2,960 births
- 1920s
1920s
7,224 births
- 1930s
1930s
5,328 births
- 1940s
1940s
5,372 births
- 1950s
1950s
3,831 births
- 1960s 2,627
1960s
2,627 births
- 1970s 1,635
1970s
1,635 births
- 1980s 921
1980s
921 births
- 1990s 492
1990s
492 births
- 2000s 317
2000s
317 births
- 2010s 234
2010s
234 births
- 2020s 166
2020s
166 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 7,224 births (21% of all-time use).
How Dewey compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Dewey's total volume
Dewey by state
Where Dewey concentrates geographically, total births since 1887
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | North Carolina | | 2,819 | 8.2% |
| #2 | Kentucky | | 2,068 | 6.0% |
| #3 | Alabama | | 1,939 | 5.6% |
| #4 | Tennessee | | 1,934 | 5.6% |
| #5 | Texas | | 1,933 | 5.6% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 1,857 | 5.4% |
| #7 | Virginia | | 1,569 | 4.6% |
| #8 | West Virginia | | 1,161 | 3.4% |
2,819 of 34,373 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 40 reporting states.
Dewey appears in 40 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Dewey? ▼
Where does Dewey sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Dewey most popular? ▼
Where is Dewey most popular? ▼
How long has the name Dewey been used? ▼
What names are similar to Dewey? ▼
What to do with Dewey's data
- Dewey's decade-level peak was the 1920s (7,224 total births); usage has since declined to 166 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- North Carolina records the most Deweys (2,819 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. North Carolina names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Dewey
Nearby Names Like Dewey
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Dewey
Compare Dewey side by side: Dewey vs Dewayne Dewey vs Dewitt Dewey vs Deward
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Dewey
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Dewey: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1898)
Similar record span (~138 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1887–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Dewey draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.