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Dew History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Dew History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Dew is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Dew family lived in Devon. This family was originally from Douai, near Lille, Normandy, and it is from this location that their surname derives.

Early Origins of the Dew family

The surname Dew was first found in Devon where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Dew family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dew research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dew History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dew Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Dewey, Dewy, Dewye and others.

Early Notables of the Dew family

More information is included under the topic Early Dew Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dew Ranking

In the United States, the name Dew is the 4,180^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1

Dew migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Dew or a variant listed above were:

Dew Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Ann Dew, aged 9 months, British settler who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Alice" 2
Elizabeth Dew, aged 32, British settler who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Alice" 2
Thomas Dew, who landed in Virginia in 1643 2
Patrick Dew, who arrived in Maryland in 1659 2
Hanah Dew, who arrived in Virginia in 1661 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dew Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Dew, who landed in Virginia in 1702 2
Jacob Dew, who landed in New England in 1752 2

Dew Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Dew, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 2
Antonne Dew, aged 25, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1849 2
Adele Dew, aged 37, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1852 2

Dew migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Dew Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Mr. Alexander Dew, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Barwell" in September 1797, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3

Dew Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Peter Dew, English convict from Worcester, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 29, 1828, settling in New South Wales, Australia 4
Mr. Richard Dew, English convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for life, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 18th June 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
George Dew, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Baboo" in 1840 6
Dinah Dew, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Baboo" in 1840 6
Mr. William Dew, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Bangalore" on 28th March 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) from Bermuda 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dew migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Dew Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Alexander Dew, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Thomas Dew, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
William Dew, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Mr. William Dew, (b. 1807), aged 34, British agricultural labourer travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lord William Bentinck" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 24th May 1841 8
Mrs. Anne Dew, (b. 1803), aged 38, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lord William Bentinck" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 24th May 1841 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Dew (post 1700) +

Sheri L. Dew (b. 1953), American author, publisher, and president and chief executive officer of the Deseret Book Company
Eddie Dew (1909-1972), American actor, film director, and television director, known for Sergeant Preston of the Yukon (1955), Pagan Island (1961) and Beyond the Last Frontier (1943)
Earl Dew (1921-1941), American Champion jockey in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing who tragically died at the age of 19 in a racing accident
Caroline Frances "Carrie" Dew (b. 1986), American soccer defender, member of the United States National Teams from 2002 to 2009
Nathaniel Dew, American politician, Independent Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Barkhamsted, 1918 9
John Alexander Dew MBE (1920-2008), English cricketer
Martin Dew, former English male badminton player
Detective Chief Inspector Walter Dew (1863-1947), English Metropolitan Police officer who was involved in the hunt for both Jack the Ripper and Dr Crippen
John Dew (b. 1952), British diplomat, British Ambassador to Cuba (2004-2008), British Ambassador to Colombia (2008-2012)
John Atcherley Dew (b. 1948), New Zealand Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal, the 6th Roman Catholic Archbishop of Wellington and the Metropolitan of New Zealand
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Dew family +

Prince of Wales colliery

Mr. Edwin Dew (b. 1859), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales Colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 10

Senghenydd colliery

Mr. William Dew (b. 1874), Welsh coal miner from Tongwynlais, Cardiff, Wales who was working at the Senghenydd colliery when there was an explosion on the 14th October 1913; he died

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 24) Albion voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1828 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1828
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BABOO 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Baboo.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bangalore
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 17) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Entombed in flood and flame (retrieved 3rd August 2021). Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20120603025705/http://www.crosskeys.me.uk/history/prince.htm