2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Alewel
A surname derived from a medieval personal name, possibly referring to someone with a prominent forehead or brow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Alewel. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alewel surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Alewel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alewel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alewel
The surname ALEWEL is of English origin, arising during the Middle Ages in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "alu" meaning "ale" and "well" meaning a spring or source of water, suggesting the name may have been used to identify someone who lived near a spring where ale was brewed or sold.
Early references to the name can be found in medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which mentions a Robert Alewelle residing in Oxfordshire. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 also list a John Aluwell in Somerset.
During the 14th century, variations in spelling emerged, including Alewell, Alewalle, and Alewelle. These different spellings likely reflected regional dialects and the inconsistent nature of written records at the time.
One notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Alewel, a knight who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. He fought in the Battle of Crécy in 1346 and was later granted lands in Wiltshire for his loyal service.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in various place names, such as Alewellbury in Buckinghamshire and Alewellcombe in Somerset. These locations may have been named after individuals bearing the surname ALEWEL who had settled or owned land in those areas.
Another well-known figure was Robert Alewel, a prosperous merchant from Bristol who lived during the late 15th century. He was involved in the lucrative wool trade and served as a city alderman and mayor in 1492.
During the 16th century, the name was sometimes anglicized to Alwell or Allwell, as seen in records from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. One notable individual from this period was Thomas Allwell, a scholar and theologian who attended Oxford University and later became a rector in Somerset, where he was born in 1546.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname continued to be found in various parts of England, with concentrations in the southwestern counties. Notable bearers included William Alewel, a wealthy landowner from Dorset who died in 1687, and John Alewel, a respected physician from Gloucestershire born in 1721.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alewel
Among Census respondents with the surname Alewel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Alewel bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Alewel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 108
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 4
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alewel
Alewel appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+16 bearers (+14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,195 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-6 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,918 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+14.8%) | Up 6,195 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 7,918 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Alewel surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #135,593 | #143,511 | -5.8% |
| Count | 124 | 118 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alewel bearers went from 124 to 118 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 7,918 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #143,511.
FAQ
Alewel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alewel?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Alewel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Alewel?
Alewel ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Alewel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Alewel.
Has Alewel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alewel went from 124 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 6 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Alewel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alewel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Alewel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alewel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Alewel (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Alewel mean?
A surname derived from a medieval personal name, possibly referring to someone with a prominent forehead or brow. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Alewel (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Alewel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.