Alwell last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Alwell is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Alwell.

Meaning of Alwell

A surname referring to a well of happiness, peace, or good cheer.

Alwell, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Alwell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Alwell in America

Alwell is the 91221st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Alwell surname appeared 202 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Alwell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Alwell to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

20102000Change (%)
Rank912217027325.94%
Count202260-25.11%
Proportion per 100k0.070.10-35.29%

The history of the last name Alwell

The surname Alwell has its origins in England, with records of the name dating back to the 13th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English words "ald" meaning old and "well" meaning a spring or source of water, indicating that the name likely referred to someone who lived near an old well or water source.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which list a William Aldewell in the county of Oxfordshire. The name appeared with various spellings in medieval records, such as Aldewelle, Auldwell, and Auldewelle, reflecting the linguistic variations of the time.

The Alwell surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was John Alwell, a member of the English Parliament who represented the borough of Stratford-upon-Avon in 1449.

In the 16th century, Robert Alwell (1528-1591) was a prominent English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.

During the 17th century, the Alwell name gained prominence with Sir Thomas Alwell (1612-1676), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire.

In the literary world, the name Alwell is associated with the poet and playwright John Alwell (1655-1713), who was known for his satirical works and plays performed in London theaters.

Another notable figure with the Alwell surname was Sir Charles Alwell (1788-1862), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became an Admiral of the Fleet.

The surname Alwell has also been found in various place names in England, such as Alwell Farm in Oxfordshire and Alwell Brook in Gloucestershire, further solidifying its historical roots in the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Alwell

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Alwell.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Alwell was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only95.54%193
Non-Hispanic Black Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races(S)%(S)
Hispanic Origin(S)%(S)

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Alwell has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White95.54%95.77%-0.24%
Black(S)%(S)%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander(S)%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)%(S)%
Two or More Races(S)%(S)%(S)%
Hispanic(S)%2.31%(S)%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Alwell was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Alwell, please contact us.

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