The Dexter surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 10,099 people carried this name — #3,535 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 29,200 people counted. That is up 5% from 9,660 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Dexter surname

A surname originating as an occupation for a female dyer.

Variant of Dyster. Also partially from Latin dexter (“right (handed)”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Dexter» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as an occupational name: ‘the dighester’.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 239 · public domain.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 43 people named Dexter.

3 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 6 départements, most often French Polynesia.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 3
French Polynesia 25
Bas-Rhin 8
Wallis and Futuna 3
Moselle 2
Maine-et-Loire 1
Haute-Vienne 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Dexter was found among the farmers of Leicestershire and Rutland: 26 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Leicestershire and Rutland 26

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

107 families named Dexter, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 608 people lived in those households, 5.7 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Massachusetts 47
Rhode Island 22
Connecticut 14
New York 8
New Hampshire 6
Vermont 5
Maine 4
Pennsylvania 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 237 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Dexter in American newspapers,
1859–1873.

Newspaper page from Northern Ohio Journal carrying the name Dexter
Northern Ohio Journal 1873-12-27
Newspaper page from Anti-slavery Bugle carrying the name Dexter
Anti-slavery Bugle 1859-11-26
Newspaper page from Northern Ohio Journal carrying the name Dexter
Northern Ohio Journal 1873-12-27

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 7,578 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Dexter in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

12,578 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Dexter. The most, 2,617, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 2.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 5,653
New South Wales 2,532
Victoria 2,493
Western Australia 612
South Australia 550
Tasmania 334
ACT (Canberra) 313
Northern Territory 2

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Dexter.

Who carried it

People named Dexter,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Samuel Dexter
    Samuel Dexter 1726–1810 · politician
  • Timothy Dexter
    Timothy Dexter 1747–1806 · businessperson
  • Samuel Dexter
    Samuel Dexter 1761–1816 · lawyer
  • Mikuláš Dexter d. 1698 · printer
  • Elizabeth Dexter d. 1931
  • Margaret Elizabeth Dexter d. 1850

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Dexter,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,115 records

1,115 records of the Dexter name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 353
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 278
  • Other U.S. records 484
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Herbert J. Dexter

    Born 1932; from Decatur, Illinois. U.S. Army, parachutist; killed in action 1965 in South Vietnam. Buried at Camp Butler National Cemetery, Illinois.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record James L. Dexter

    Born 1898 in Argentina. Enlisted 1942 at San Francisco, California; kitchen worker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1964, buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Maria Dexter

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 39; servant. From Manchester, England; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,115 records for Dexter in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Ramsey County, Minnesota (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada641 records

641 records of the Dexter name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 623
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 5
  • Other Canadian records 13
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Madeline Elizabeth Dexter

    Buried in 1979 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 52.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Mary S. Dexter

    Died 1870 in Milton, Queens, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Stanley Reginald Dexter

    Died in service in 1940.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 641 records for Dexter in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Australia227 records

227 records of the Dexter name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 87
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 54
  • Other Australian records 86
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record George Dexter

    Died 1873 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 82. Will registered in Tasmania in 1873.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record William Dexter

    Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1857. Married 1857 in Hamilton, Tasmania, aged 34.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record William Dexter

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Eliza, arriving 1820; ticket of leave 1839. Native of Worcs.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 227 records for Dexter in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

United Kingdom24 records

24 records of the Dexter name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 12
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 12
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary John Dexter

    Buried in 1822 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 70.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. C. Dexter

    Machine Gun Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Richard Dexter

    Buried in 1853 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 82.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 24 records for Dexter in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands19 records

19 records of the Dexter name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 17
  • Dutch population registers 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Theophilus Dexter

    Married in 1656 in Heinsdijcke.

    Open Archives, Gemeentearchief Vlissingen (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Anna Dexter

    Married in 1708 in Geertruidenberg.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Cornelis Dexter

    Married in 1710 in Delfshaven.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 19 records for Dexter in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

New Zealand6 records

6 records of the Dexter name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 4
  • Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Eileen Dawn Dexter

    Died 1994, aged 58; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Kathleen Dexter

    Born 1882, died 1962; buried at Kaiapoi Public Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Kate Dexter

    Died 1903, aged 65; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Dexter in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France6 records

6 records of the Dexter name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Violette Marcelle Dexter

    Born 1908 in Le Dorat (Haute-Vienne); died 1999 in Deauville (Calvados).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Louis Fernand Dexter

    Born 1930 in Wissembourg; died 1974 in Wissembourg (Bas-Rhin).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Louise Dexter

    Born 1926 in Wissembourg; died 1981 in Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Dexter in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Dexter.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Dexter is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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