This interesting and unusual name, found particularly in Norfolk, is a dialectal variant of "Dewey", an English name probably a Norman habitation name from "Douai" in Nord, France, so called from the Gaulish personal name "Dous", which was introduced into Britain after the Norman Conquest of 1066. In some instances Dewey and Dewing may also be a patronymic (son of) form of "Dewin", a personal name, whose Domesday Book (1086), recording appears as "Derewin". The surname first appears in the late 14th Century, (see below). My, daughter of Chris Dewing was christened at St. Giles, Norwich on June 9th, 1582, while Agnes Dewing married Henry Naggs at Swannington, Norfolk on November 1st, 1584. Thomes Dewinge married Mary Leverington at St. Saviour Norwich on September 15th 1628. At St. Benet Pauls Wharf, London, Betteris Spillman married John During on February 6th 1657. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Willelmus Dewyn, which was dated 1379, Poll Tax Records of Yorkshire, during the reign of King Richard 11, "Richard of Bordeaux", 1377 - 1399. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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