Drew
A surname with several likely roots, including the medieval name Drew, the nickname from Andrew, or a place-name connection to Dreux in France.
The #1,513 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 13,015 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname has more than one possible origin. In some cases it comes from the medieval personal name Drew, a Norman form of Drogo, which was brought into England after the Conquest; in others it may be a shortened nickname from Andrew. It was also used for people connected with Dreux in Brittany/France, so the same surname could arise independently in different families.
History
The form is well attested in medieval English records, and Lower specifically notes Norman and place-name explanations alongside the Andrew nickname. Because several different sources could produce the same spelling, Drew is one of those surnames whose family histories may not share a single origin. The surname remains established in England and the wider English-speaking world.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley treats Drewett as a diminutive related to Drew, showing how the same root could generate a small cluster of surnames.
From the historical record
“DRESSER. Probably some handicraft. DREW. DRE WE. l . Drogo, an early Norman personal name, w;^ so anglicised. 2. It is a common nickname for Andrew. 3. Dreux, a town of Briftany. At the time of the Norman survey, Herman de Dreuues was a tenant-in-chief in Herefordshire. There is a Lc Dreu in H.R. According to the…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom