Caswell
A surname derived from a place name meaning "castle well".
Name Census estimates that about 165 living Americans carry the first name Caswell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Caswell today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Caswell births was 1923 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Caswell. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
165
~ 1 in 2,077,299 Americans
Peak year
1923
14 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,042
Tracked since 1882
Popularity
Caswell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Caswell from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 83 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Caswell remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Caswell by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Caswell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Caswell
The name Caswell has its origins in the Old English language, derived from the combination of two words: "caes" meaning cheese, and "well" meaning a spring or source of water. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a place or location where cheese was produced near a natural water source.
Caswell was a name commonly used in medieval England, particularly in rural areas where dairy farming and cheesemaking were prevalent occupations. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 11th and 12th centuries, appearing in various parish records and land registries.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Caswell of Dorset, a renowned cheesemaker who lived in the late 12th century. His legacy was documented in the "Annals of Dorchester Abbey," where his exceptional skills in crafting high-quality cheeses were praised.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Caswell the Falconer was mentioned in the court records of King Edward I. He was a respected falconer in the royal household, responsible for training and caring for the king's hunting falcons.
During the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century, a soldier named Caswell Blythe fought alongside the Lancastrian forces. His bravery and loyalty were recognized in the chronicles of the conflict, although few other details about his life are known.
In the 16th century, a respected scholar and theologian named Caswell Wycliffe made significant contributions to the study of biblical texts. His detailed annotations and translations of various scripture passages were widely circulated among academic circles of the time.
Another notable bearer of the name was Caswell Hawkins, a renowned architect who lived in the late 17th century. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the grand St. Paul's Cathedral, which still stands today as a testament to his architectural genius.
People
Caswell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Caswell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Caswell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Caswell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 165 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Caswell going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,077,299 US residents.
Is Caswell a common name?
We classify Caswell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 327 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Caswell most popular?
The single biggest year for Caswell was 1923, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Caswell is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Caswell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Caswell in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.