Surname Dewdney - Meaning and Origin
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Dewdney: What does the surname Dewdney mean?
The last name Dewdney is a locational and topographic surname, which means someone who comes from or lives in places called Dewdney or Dewden. This could be a valley, a hill, a wood, or a village in the Westcountry of England, near to Devon or Cornwall.
The earliest form of the name in its written form was “Dewedin”. This spelling can be dated to 1273 and is found in the English Pipe Rolls and associated documents. The name comes from either Old English “Dûn” (Down) and “tûn” (a settlement or village) or from Old English "dew" and "denu" (valley).
The earliest recorded Dewdney to live in the United States was Nathaniel Doudney who emigrated to Salem, MA in 1630, shortly after the town's founding. The Dewdney family traces its line back to the year 1323 in England and a village called, Dewdney.
The surname Dewdney is not common in the U.S., but has a strong presence in parts of the Westcountry of England and Wales, especially Devon, Cornwall and Gloucestershire. It is also quite common in Canada, particularly in the southwestern part of the country, in particular Saskatchewan and British Columbia, where numerous Dewdneys have settled over the centuries. In modern times, the name continues to be used as a surname in England and the U.S., and is also a common first name in Canada.
Order DNA origin analysisDewdney: Where does the name Dewdney come from?
The surname Dewdney is most commonly found in the United Kingdom today. It originates from the crest of 'D'ewdney', an ancient Anglo-Saxon family, originally from what is now Cumbria, and can be traced back to the 14th century.
The surname is still relatively spread out across the country, with records of the name found in London, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, Leicestershire, Herefordshire, Yorkshire, and Shropshire.
The name is also associated with the town of Dewdney in East Devon, which was named after the Dewdney family of the region and became a popular place of residence for the family's younger generations.
A study in the development of the Dewdney name in 16th century England suggests that the family was involved in various trades, including spinners, manufacturers, bakers, millers, and butchers.
The Dewdney name is also common in Canada, particularly in the province of British Columbia. The Dewdney Trail, a major road connecting the cities of Hope and Princeton, was named after Edgar Dewdney, the second Lieutenant-Governor of the province. There are also numerous communities and businesses in the area, such as Dewdney, Dewdney Beach, Dewdney Peak, and Dewdney Trading Post, which are all named after the surname.
Overall, Dewdney is most common today in the United Kingdom and Canada, particularly British Columbia, where it is still held in high regard as a tribute to the name's noble medieval heritage.
Variations of the surname Dewdney
The surname Dewdney has several variants and spellings including Dewdeney, Deudney, Dowedney, Dewdewny, Dewdnyey, and Dowdeney. This British surname is believed to have originated from Devon in England and is an Anglicized form of the Welsh name "Dyfed".
Dewdney is a patronymic name, meaning that it is derived from the given name of a father or grandfather. In this case, Dewdney was taken from the Welsh personal name "Dyfed". This Welsh name is composed of the two elements "dyf" which means "great" or "vast" and "bed" which means "benefit".
Variants and spellings of Dewdney can be found all over the United Kingdom, originally from Devon. It is also common in south-west England and in some areas of Ireland.
Several possible sources for the variants of Dewdeney include a combination of the two elements of the Welsh Dyfed, which would have been pronounced "Dyfed-ney" and Anglicized into "Dewdeney". Alternatively, the name may have been adapted from "Dafod-ney" - which is another version of Dyfed, or it may be derived from the Old English "depdune" which means "deep hill".
The surnames Dowdeney, Deudney, and Dowedney are all variants of Dewdney which stem from similar Welsh origins. The spelling with the extra "e" in the middle may have been derived from an Old English element which meant "valley".
Overall, the surname Dewdney has many variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin stemming from both Welsh and Old English origins. It is common in the UK and in some areas of Ireland.
Famous people with the name Dewdney
- Ted Dewdney:innovator and computer scientist
- Alex Dewdney: British sculptor
- George Dewdney: Canadian designer, illustrator, and author
- Cyndi Dewdney: Canadian author
- Marjorie Dewdney:Canadian Scandanavian folk artist
- C.W.H. Dewdney: Canadian geologist
- William H. Dewdney: Canadian lawyer, politician and 23rd mayor of Vancouver
- R.C. Dewdney: Canadian civil engineer and political figure
- John Cyrus Dewdney: Canadian contractor and politician
- J.R. Dewdney: Canadian author and educator