Edwell
A masculine English name meaning "prosperous guardian".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Edwell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Edwell today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Edwell births was 1921 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Edwell. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Edwell. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1921
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1921 SSA rank
#4,530
Tracked since 1921
Popularity
Edwell: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Edwell 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 Edwell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Edwell
The given name Edwell is a relatively obscure name that is believed to have its origins in Old English, a language spoken in parts of what is now England and southern Scotland between the 5th and 11th centuries. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "ead," meaning prosperous or fortunate, and "well," meaning a spring or stream of water.
The earliest known written record of the name Edwell dates back to the 11th century, where it appears in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings and resources in Norman England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. In this historical document, the name is spelled "Ædwelle," which is consistent with the Old English spelling conventions of the time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Edwell was Edwell of Walsingham, a 12th-century English monk and hagiographer who wrote a biography of St. William of Norwich, a child martyr who was canonized in the 12th century. Edwell's work, titled "Life and Miracles of St. William of Norwich," is considered an important historical source for understanding the social and religious climate of medieval England.
Another notable figure with the name Edwell was Sir Edwell de Brampton, a 14th-century English knight and landowner who fought in the Hundred Years' War between England and France. He is mentioned in several contemporary chronicles and records from the period, including the Gesta Henrici Quinti, a contemporary account of the life and reign of King Henry V.
In the 16th century, there was an Edwell Darnell, an English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers, a livery company in the City of London. He is recorded as having been active in trade with the Continent and was a prominent figure in the mercantile community of the time.
Another individual with the name Edwell was Edwell Potterton, a 17th-century English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including "The Vanity of Vain Glory" and "The Christian's Confidence in God's Protection." He served as a rector in various parishes in the counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire.
While the name Edwell has fallen out of common use in more recent times, it remains a unique and historically significant name that reflects the linguistic and cultural influences of Old English society. Its roots in concepts of prosperity and natural resources offer a glimpse into the values and worldview of the people who first adopted this name many centuries ago.
People
Edwell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Edwell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Edwell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Edwell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Edwell 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 - US residents.
Is Edwell a common name?
We classify Edwell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Edwell most popular?
The single biggest year for Edwell was 1921, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Edwell is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Edwell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Edwell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Edwell 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.
Is Edwell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Edwell in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Edwell can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Edwell as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Edwell, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.