Dewees History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England

The name Dewees reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Dewees family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Dewees 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 Dewees family

The surname Dewees 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 Dewees family

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

Dewees Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Dewey, Dewy, Dewye and others.

Early Notables of the Dewees family

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

Dewees Ranking

In the United States, the name Dewees is the 13,810^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Dewees migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Dewees name or one of its variants:

Dewees Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Cornelius Dewees and his brothers Lewis and Willem, who settled in Germantown, Pennsylvania in 1690
Gerritt Hendricks DeWees and his wfie Zijtijen DeWees, who settled in Germantown, Pennsylvania in 1690
Cornelius Dewees, who arrived in Germantown, Pennsylvania in 1690 2
Lewis Dewees, who arrived in Germantown, Pennsylvania in 1690 2
Willem Dewees, who landed in Germantown, Pennsylvania in 1690 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Dewees (post 1700) +

Donald William Dewees Jr. (b. 1993), American Major League Baseball outfielder for the Chicago Cubs
Rusty DeWees (b. 1960), American actor, producer and writer, best known for his one man comedy show, The Logger
James Dewees (b. 1976), American musician, known for his work with Coalesce, The Get Up Kids, Reggie and the Full Effect, New Found Glory, My Chemical Romance, Leathermouth, and others
William Potts Dewees (1768-1841), American physician, best known for his work in obstetrics
Edwin Stanton Dewees (b. 1982), American mixed martial artist
George S. Dewees (d. 1943), American politician, Burgess of West Chester, Pennsylvania, 1937-43 3
Dick DeWees, American politician, Mayor of Lompoc, California, 1998-99 3
Maurice Dewees (b. 1891), Belgian Olympic fencer
Major-General Thomas Dewees Finley (1895-1984), American Commanding General XVI Corps (1945) 4

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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 17) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, February 29) Thomas Finley. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Finley/Thomas_Dewees/USA.html