2000
#3,997
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,159
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.02
Rare Last name
Atwell
Derived from a place name meaning "at the well" or "dweller by the spring or stream."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,354 Americans carry the last name Atwell. That puts it at #4,206 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,643 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Atwell 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Atwell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.4K
1 in 36,643
Census rank
#4,206
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,157 bearers of the surname Atwell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4206th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Atwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Atwell
The surname Atwell has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "aet" and "well," meaning "at the well" or "near the water source." This suggests that the name may have originated from a topographic feature or a place name associated with a well or a body of water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, which mentions a person named William Attewell. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield, Yorkshire, with references to individuals such as John Attewelle (1315) and Adam Attewelle (1348). These records provide insight into the geographic distribution of the name during that period.
The Atwell surname is also linked to several place names in England, including Atwell in Somerset, Atwell Farm in Oxfordshire, and Atwell Close in Nottinghamshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Notable individuals with the surname Atwell throughout history include:
1. William Atwell (c. 1500 - 1562), an English Protestant reformer and martyr during the Marian Persecutions.
2. Robert Atwell (1579 - 1621), an English clergyman and author known for his work "The Faithful Surveyour."
3. Sir Thomas Atwell (1766 - 1838), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars.
4. George Atwell (1807 - 1876), an English landscape painter and a member of the Royal Academy.
5. Winifred Atwell (1914 - 1983), a British pianist and entertainer known for her popular renditions of classical and ragtime music.
The Atwell surname has a rich history in England, with its roots dating back to the 13th century and connections to various place names and notable individuals throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Atwell
Among Census respondents with the surname Atwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Atwell 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 Atwell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.4% · 6,803
- Black or African American7.4% · 606
- Two or more races4.1% · 333
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 284
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 61
Timeline
Historical Census data for Atwell
Atwell 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
#4,116
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,622
+463 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 2.92
Rank movement Down 119 places
2020
#4,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,157
-465 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 2.73
Rank movement Down 90 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,997 | 8,159 | 3.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,116 | 8,622 | 2.92 | +463 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 119 places |
| 2020 | #4,206 | 8,157 | 2.73 | -465 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 90 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 Atwell 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 | #4,116 | #4,206 | -2.2% |
| Count | 8,622 | 8,157 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.92 | 2.73 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Atwell bearers went from 8,622 to 8,157 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 90 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,116 to #4,206.
FAQ
Atwell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Atwell?
Name Census estimates that about 9,354 living Americans carry the surname Atwell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,643 residents.
How common is Atwell?
Atwell ranks #4,206 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,157 people with the surname Atwell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,354), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Atwell.
Has Atwell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Atwell went from 8,622 recorded bearers to 8,157. That is a decrease of 465 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,116 to #4,206.
What does the Census say about the background of Atwell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Atwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Atwell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.4% (6,803 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Atwell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.4%), Black (7.4%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Atwell (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 Atwell mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "at the well" or "dweller by the spring or stream." 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 Atwell (2.73 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 people have the last name Atwell?
Find out how common the surname Atwell is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.