Dean (surname)

Dean is an English surname originally derived from the Old English word denu (Middle English, dene) meaning "valley." Another common variant of this surname is Deane.

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. The first bearers of the name lived in Anglo-Saxon England in mountainous or hilly areas where they would have adopted the name as a habitational marker. The surname is historically concentrated in the West Country in South West England, particularly in and around the county of Gloucestershire, and there are several places called Dean in the area (including other areas of Southern England), suggesting that this region may be the surname’s likely area of origin. Dean and Deane are also historically found as surnames in Scotland and Ireland.

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

Recorded usage of the name dates back to the late 11th century when it was recorded as the surname of several individuals. The first known person on record to use the Dean surname appears to have been 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). His descendants, known as Denn or Denne, were landowners in Kent and Sussex, but apparently died out by the 1600s. Another known 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.

The official use of surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. 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.

Notable people with the surname

 * Angela Dean, British statistician
 * Anna-Maria Ravnopolska-Dean, harpist
 * Ardie Dean (born 1955), American blues drummer, audio engineer and record producer
 * Austin Dean (born 1993), American baseball player
 * Bashford Dean, American ornithologist
 * Bernadette Louise Dean, Pakistani academic and educator
 * Billy Dean, American singer
 * Brenda Dean (1943–2018), British trade unionist and politician
 * Brett Dean (born 1961), Australian composer
 * Charlbi Dean (1990–2022), South African actress and model
 * Charles Dean (died 1974), brother of Howard and Jim
 * Charmaine Dean (born 1958), statistician from Trinidad, president of Statistical Society of Canada
 * Christopher Dean, British figure skater
 * Dean (Middlesex cricketer) (fl. 1787–1790), English amateur cricketer
 * Diana Dean (born 1942), Canadian artist
 * Dixie Dean, English footballer
 * Dizzy Dean (1910–1974), baseball pitcher
 * Dora Dean (c. 1872–1949), vaudeville dancer
 * Eddie Dean (disambiguation), several people
 * Elton Dean, jazz musician
 * Everett Dean (1898–1993), American college sports coach
 * Fred Dean (1952–2020), American football player
 * Gordon Dean (disambiguation), several people
 * Henry Clay Dean, American orator and author
 * Howard Dean, U.S. presidential candidate in 2004
 * Jackson Dean, American singer
 * Jamel Dean (born 1996), American football player
 * James Dean (disambiguation), several people
 * James Dean (1931–1955), American actor
 * Janet Dean Fodor, American professor of linguistics
 * Jim Dean (activist), chairman of Democracy for America
 * Jimmy Dean (1928–2010), American singer and actor
 * Joe Dean (1930–2013), American basketball player, sportscaster, and sports administrator
 * John Dean (born 1938), White House counsel to President Nixon and central Watergate figure
 * Julia Dean (actress, born 1830) (1830–1868), actress
 * Julia Dean (actress, born 1878) (1878–1952), actress
 * Kasseem Dean (born 1978), American record producer, rapper, DJ, and songwriter
 * Kevin Dean (disambiguation), multiple people
 * Letitia Dean (born 1967), English actress and singer
 * Madeleine Dean, American politician
 * Margia Dean, (1922–2023), American actress
 * Mark Dean (swimmer), American swimmer
 * Matt Dean (born 1966), American politician
 * Matthew Deane (disambiguation), several people
 * Mike Dean (disambiguation), multiple people
 * Millvina Dean (1912–2009), British civil servant, last living survivor of the Titanic disaster
 * Nakobe Dean (born 2000), American football player
 * Nathan Dean (1934–2013), American businessman and politician
 * Nathaniel Dean, Australian actor
 * Nathaniel W. Dean (1817–1880), American politician
 * Nelson Dean, American baseball player
 * Norman Dean, footballer
 * Oliver Dean (1783–1871), American physician and businessman, founder of Dean College
 * Olivia Dean (born 1999), English singer
 * Paul Dean (disambiguation), multiple people
 * Ralph Dean (1913–1987), Canadian Anglican cleric
 * Roger Dean (artist), album cover designer
 * Ruth Dean (1902–2003), American scholar of Anglo-Norman literature
 * Theodosia Ann Dean (1819-1843), English missionary
 * Thomas Dean (disambiguation), several people
 * Tony Dean (racing driver) (1932–2008), British racing driver
 * Trey Dean (born 2000), American football player
 * Winton Dean (1916–2013), English musicologist
 * Zachary Dean (born 2003), Canadian ice hockey player

Fictional Characters

 * Jason "J.D." Dean, the antagonist of the 1988 teen film Heathers, and it's musical and TV adaptations