<p>So far as the "when" is concerned, Google Ngram can be helpful for this sort of question.  It suggests (see <a href="https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=deadweight%20loss&amp;year_start=1800&amp;year_end=2000&amp;corpus=15&amp;smoothing=3&amp;share=&amp;direct_url=t1%3B%2Cdeadweight%20loss%3B%2Cc0" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>) that use of the term was nil or close to nil until 1960, since when its use has grown fairly steadily.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-06T16:05:54.467Z
2017-06-06T16:13:03.230Z
2017-06-06T16:13:03.230Z
Adam Bailey
<p>In chapter xvii of Protection or Free Trade, published in 1886, Henry George writes, &quot;That is to say, not only is our protective tariff a dead weight upon industry generally, but it is a dead weight upon the very industries it is intended to stimulate.&quot;</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-26T19:01:39.750Z
2024-11-26T19:01:39.750Z
LandValueTaxMax
<p>Start with <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=wLEZAQAAIAAJ&amp;pg=PA237&amp;dq=%22deadweight%20loss%22&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjfkKnT0KnUAhVPHGMKHRDMB3MQ6AEIODAE#v=onepage&amp;q=%22deadweight%20loss%22&amp;f=false" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Practical Points in the Formation and Valuation of Pension Funds, with a Note on Group Assurances</a> <em>Journal of the Institute of Actuaries</em> July 1915.  (<a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-institute-of-actuaries/article/practical-points-in-connection-with-the-formation-and-valuation-of-pension-funds-with-a-note-on-group-assurances/DA6C59006628DB66A90DBAAAF3FD6B22" rel="nofollow noreferrer">alternative link</a>):</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>...so that an unusually low mortality was a deadweight loss </p>
</blockquote>

<p>The 1941 book <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=qgwPAQAAMAAJ&amp;q=%22deadweight%20loss%22&amp;dq=%22deadweight%20loss%22&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwi_mpe31qnUAhVGHGMKHYG0ACkQ6AEINTAD" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The Cambridge Economic History of Europe from the Decline of the Roman Empire</a> may have contributed to the use of the term, and says: </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>In addition there was the 'deadweight loss', the additional value that American users would have enjoyed had rails sold at the lower price and assuming that they would therefore have bought more than the 1,550,000 tons which they did buy... </p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-06T16:29:47.477Z
2017-06-06T16:54:56.357Z
2017-06-06T16:54:56.357Z
DavePhD
<p>I am looking for the first use of the term "deadweight loss."  Any suggestions either as to who it was who first used it or how to search for it?</p>

<welfare-economics><history-economic-thought>
Who originated the term "deadweight loss" and when?
Dave Harris
# Who originated the term "deadweight loss" and when?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-06-05)

I am looking for the first use of the term "deadweight loss." Any suggestions either as to who it was who first used it or how to search for it?

**Tags:** welfare-economics, history-economic-thought

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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2017-06-06. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

Start with [Practical Points in the Formation and Valuation of Pension Funds, with a Note on Group Assurances](https://books.google.com/books?id=wLEZAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA237&dq=%22deadweight%20loss%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjfkKnT0KnUAhVPHGMKHRDMB3MQ6AEIODAE#v=onepage&q=%22deadweight%20loss%22&f=false) *Journal of the Institute of Actuaries* July 1915. ([alternative link](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-institute-of-actuaries/article/practical-points-in-connection-with-the-formation-and-valuation-of-pension-funds-with-a-note-on-group-assurances/DA6C59006628DB66A90DBAAAF3FD6B22)):

> ...so that an unusually low mortality was a deadweight loss

The 1941 book [The Cambridge Economic History of Europe from the Decline of the Roman Empire](https://books.google.com/books?id=qgwPAQAAMAAJ&q=%22deadweight%20loss%22&dq=%22deadweight%20loss%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi_mpe31qnUAhVGHGMKHYG0ACkQ6AEINTAD) may have contributed to the use of the term, and says:

> In addition there was the 'deadweight loss', the additional value that American users would have enjoyed had rails sold at the lower price and assuming that they would therefore have bought more than the 1,550,000 tons which they did buy...


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### Answer by username_1 on 2017-06-06. Score: 2

So far as the "when" is concerned, Google Ngram can be helpful for this sort of question. It suggests (see [here](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=deadweight%20loss&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cdeadweight%20loss%3B%2Cc0)) that use of the term was nil or close to nil until 1960, since when its use has grown fairly steadily.


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### Answer by username_2 on 2024-11-26. Score: 1

In chapter xvii of Protection or Free Trade, published in 1886, Henry George writes, "That is to say, not only is our protective tariff a dead weight upon industry generally, but it is a dead weight upon the very industries it is intended to stimulate."


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