The Tew surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,247 people carried this name — #6,470 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 56,200 people counted. That is up 4% from 5,053 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Tew surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Tew’.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 743 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Tew was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Northamptonshire: 20 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 500. 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

Northamptonshire 20
Hampshire 8

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

20 Tew families were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 137 people lived in those households, 6.9 to a family on average. 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

Rhode Island 8
Massachusetts 5
North Carolina 5
South Carolina 2

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. 265 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Tew in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1980s.

3,428 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Tew. The most, 723, date from the 1920s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 1.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 1,318
Victoria 844
New South Wales 588
South Australia 288
Tasmania 250
Western Australia 122
ACT (Canberra) 12
Northern Territory 2

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

Who carried it

People named Tew,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Thomas Tew
    Thomas Tew 1649–1695 · privateer
  • Allene Tew
    Allene Tew 1872–1955 · socialite
  • Margaret Tew d. 1860
  • John Tew d. 1754
  • Alice Frances Tew d. 1930
  • John Tew 1722–1771

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 Tew,
in the records of 6 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 States305 records

305 records of the Tew name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 171
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 50
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 25
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 21
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 18
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 16
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 1
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Bernard Tew

    Born 1928; from Mobile County, Alabama. U.S. Army, heavy weapons infantryman; killed in action 1951 in North Korea. Buried at Mobile National Cemetery, Alabama.

    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 Edward N. Tew

    Born 1916 in Rhode Island. Enlisted 1943 at Providence; bookkeeper. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1985, buried at Rhode Island Veteran Memorial Cemetery, Exeter, Rhode Island.

    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 Schage Tew

    Arrived at New York in 1889 aboard the Fulda from Bremen and Southampton, aged 32; tailor. From St. Peterburg, Russia; bound for New York.

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

Showing 3 of 305 records for Tew in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (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).

Australia121 records

121 records of the Tew name in Australia
  • Tasmanian Names Index 51
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 38
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 22
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 8
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 1
  • State Library of Western Australia indexes 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Caroline Emma Tew

    Born 1872 in New Norfolk, Tasmania. Married 1896 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 23.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Eliza Tew

    Arrived in Victoria in 1856 aboard the Acadia, aged 45; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Ernest J. Tew

    Storekeeper of Ferntree Gully, Victoria; died 1934.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 121 records for Tew in Australia.

Counts: Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

United Kingdom11 records

11 records of the Tew name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 9
  • Welsh wills index cards 2
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Eliza Tew

    Will proved in 1936; of Swansea.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record C. Tew

    Grenadier Guards. 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 petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Edward Tew

    Will proved in 1932; of Swansea.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 11 records for Tew in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Canada9 records

9 records of the Tew name in Canada
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 3
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 2
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 2
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Eleanor Tew

    Buried in 1989 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 88.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. 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 Thomas Tew

    Died in service in 1916.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Shirley Irene Tew

    Married 1945 in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 9 records for Tew in Canada.

Counts: 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. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

France1 record

1 record of the Tew 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 Charles Henry Tew

    Born 1899 in Great Britain; died 1995 in Ambierle (Loire).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

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).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Tew name in the Netherlands Dutch church registers before 1811
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Janna te W

    Baptised in 1731 in Arnhem.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Tew.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Tew 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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