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Dean is thought to be a habitational name from any of several places in various parts of England that are known by a variation of the name.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=dean|title=Dean Family History|publisher=ancestry.com}} Retrieved 29 June 2018</ref> The first bearers of the surname lived in [[Anglo-Saxon England]] in mountainous or hilly areas where they would have adopted the name as a habitational marker.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/dean|title=Last name: Dean|publisher=surnamedb.com}} Retrieved 29 June 2018</ref> The surname is historically concentrated in the [[West Country]] in [[South West England]], particularly in and around the county of [[Gloucestershire]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.selectsurnames4.com/dean.html|title=Dean|publisher=selectsurnames4.com}} Retrieved 29 June 2018</ref> suggesting that this region may be the surname’s likely area of origin.
Dean is thought to be a habitational name from any of several places in various parts of England that are known by a variation of the name.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=dean|title=Dean Family History|publisher=ancestry.com}} Retrieved 29 June 2018</ref> The first bearers of the surname lived in [[Anglo-Saxon England]] in mountainous or hilly areas where they would have adopted the name as a habitational marker.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/dean|title=Last name: Dean|publisher=surnamedb.com}} Retrieved 29 June 2018</ref> The surname is historically concentrated in the [[West Country]] in [[South West England]], particularly in and around the county of [[Gloucestershire]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.selectsurnames4.com/dean.html|title=Dean|publisher=selectsurnames4.com}} Retrieved 29 June 2018</ref> suggesting that this region may be the surname’s likely area of origin.
Perhaps less likely, it may also be a [[nickname]] for someone thought to resemble a [[Dean (Christianity)|Dean]], an [[ecclesiastical]] official who was the head of a chapter of [[canons]] in a [[cathedral]], or an [[occupational]] name for a servant of a Dean, derived from the Middle English "deen," which is itself ultimately derived from the [[Latin]] word "decanus" (modern English, [[Deacon]]), meaning "a leader of ten men".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/dean|title=Last name: Dean|publisher=surnamedb.com}} Retrieved 29 June 2018</ref>
Perhaps less likely, it may also be a [[nickname]] for someone thought to resemble an [[ecclesiastical]] [[Dean (Christianity)|Dean]], or an [[occupational]] name for a servant of a Dean, derived from the Middle English "deen," which is itself ultimately derived from the [[Latin]] word "decanus" ([[modern English]], [[Deacon]]), meaning "a leader of ten men".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/dean|title=Last name: Dean|publisher=surnamedb.com}} Retrieved 29 June 2018</ref>


The surname dates back to the late 11th Century and was recorded as the surname of a number of individuals. The first Dean appears to be an individual named Robert de Dene, who was a “Pincema,” or, an official in charge of [[wine]] and [[beverage]] for [[King Edward the Confessor]] (1042-1066).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.selectsurnames4.com/dean.html|title=Dean|publisher=selectsurnames4.com}} Retrieved 29 June 2018</ref> His descendants, known as Denn or Denne, were landowners in [[Kent]] and [[Sussex]], but died out by the 1600’s)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.selectsurnames4.com/dean.html|title=Dean|publisher=selectsurnames4.com}} Retrieved 29 June 2018</ref> Another early Dean was an individual named Ralph De Dene, who was recorded in the Domesday Book for Sussex during the reign of [[William the Conqueror]] (1066-1087) in [[1086]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/dean|title=Last name: Dean|publisher=surnamedb.com}} Retrieved 29 June 2018</ref>
The surname dates back to the late 11th Century and was recorded as the surname of a number of individuals. The first Dean appears to be an individual named Robert de Dene, who was a “Pincema,” or, an official in charge of [[wine]] and [[beverage]] for [[King Edward the Confessor]] (1042-1066).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.selectsurnames4.com/dean.html|title=Dean|publisher=selectsurnames4.com}} Retrieved 29 June 2018</ref> His descendants, known as Denn or Denne, were landowners in [[Kent]] and [[Sussex]], but died out by the 1600’s)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.selectsurnames4.com/dean.html|title=Dean|publisher=selectsurnames4.com}} Retrieved 29 June 2018</ref> Another early Dean was an individual named Ralph De Dene, who was recorded in the Domesday Book for Sussex during the reign of [[William the Conqueror]] (1066-1087) in [[1086]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/dean|title=Last name: Dean|publisher=surnamedb.com}} Retrieved 29 June 2018</ref>

Revision as of 06:56, 30 June 2018

This article is about the surname Dean. For other uses, see Dean.
Dean
PronunciationDeen
Origin
Word/nameOld English
Meaning"Valley”
Region of origin England
Other names
Variant form(s)Deane, Deen, Dene, Deans, Deanes, Denes, Denn, Denne, De Dene

Dean is a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin.[1] It is originally derived from the Old English word "denu" (Middle English, "dene") meaning "valley."[2]

Gloucestershire
The view north towards Ross-on-Wye from Symonds Yat Rock, in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire

Origin and variants

Dean is thought to be a habitational name from any of several places in various parts of England that are known by a variation of the name.[3] The first bearers of the surname lived in Anglo-Saxon England in mountainous or hilly areas where they would have adopted the name as a habitational marker.[4] The surname is historically concentrated in the West Country in South West England, particularly in and around the county of Gloucestershire,[5] suggesting that this region may be the surname’s likely area of origin.

Perhaps less likely, it may also be a nickname for someone thought to resemble an ecclesiastical Dean, or an occupational name for a servant of a Dean, derived from the Middle English "deen," which is itself ultimately derived from the Latin word "decanus" (modern English, Deacon), meaning "a leader of ten men".[6]

The surname dates back to the late 11th Century and was recorded as the surname of a number of individuals. The first Dean appears to be an individual named Robert de Dene, who was a “Pincema,” or, an official in charge of wine and beverage for King Edward the Confessor (1042-1066).[7] His descendants, known as Denn or Denne, were landowners in Kent and Sussex, but died out by the 1600’s)[8] Another early Dean was an individual named Ralph De Dene, who was recorded in the Domesday Book for Sussex during the reign of William the Conqueror (1066-1087) in 1086.[9]

Recorded surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation.[10] Until the gradual standardization of English spelling in the last few centuries however, English lacked any comprehensive system of spelling. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents, meaning that a person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. As such, different variations of the Dean surname usually have the same origin.[11] The surname is also historically found in Scotland and Ireland[12]

Other variant spellings include:[13][14]

  • Deane (common)
  • Deen
  • Dene
  • Deans
  • Deanes
  • Denes
  • Denn
  • Denne
  • De Dene (archaic)

Notable people with the surname

See also

References

  1. ^ "Dean Family History". ancestry.com. Retrieved 29 June 2018
  2. ^ "Dean Family History". ancestry.com. Retrieved 29 June 2018
  3. ^ "Dean Family History". ancestry.com. Retrieved 29 June 2018
  4. ^ "Last name: Dean". surnamedb.com. Retrieved 29 June 2018
  5. ^ "Dean". selectsurnames4.com. Retrieved 29 June 2018
  6. ^ "Last name: Dean". surnamedb.com. Retrieved 29 June 2018
  7. ^ "Dean". selectsurnames4.com. Retrieved 29 June 2018
  8. ^ "Dean". selectsurnames4.com. Retrieved 29 June 2018
  9. ^ "Last name: Dean". surnamedb.com. Retrieved 29 June 2018
  10. ^ "Last name: Dean". surnamedb.com. Retrieved 29 June 2018
  11. ^ "Dean History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms". houseofnames.com. Retrieved 29 June 2018
  12. ^ "Dean". selectsurnames4.com. Retrieved 29 June 2018
  13. ^ "Dean History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms". houseofnames.com. Retrieved 29 June 2018
  14. ^ "Last name: Dean". surnamedb.com. Retrieved 29 June 2018


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