Dean

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.