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

Bedwell, 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 Bedwell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bedwell in America

Bedwell is the 7762nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bedwell surname appeared 4,276 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bedwell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bedwell 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.

The history of the last name Bedwell

The surname Bedwell is of English origin, derived from a combination of two Old English words: "bed" meaning "prayer" and "well" meaning "stream" or "spring." This suggests that the name may have originated from a place where people would gather for religious ceremonies or rituals near a stream or natural spring.

The earliest recorded instances of the Bedwell name can be traced back to the 13th century in various counties of England, including Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Essex. The name is believed to have originated as a topographic surname, referring to a specific location or geographic feature associated with a stream or well used for religious or spiritual purposes.

One of the earliest known references to the Bedwell surname can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Bedfordshire from the year 1309, which mentions a Johannes de Bedwell. This record provides evidence of the name's existence and usage during the medieval period.

In the 16th century, the Bedwell surname gained prominence through the life of William Bedwell (1561-1632), an English scholar and linguist who was proficient in Arabic and Persian languages. He was appointed as a lecturer in Arabic at the University of Cambridge and contributed to the translation of the Bible into Arabic.

Another notable figure with the Bedwell surname is Thomas Bedwell (1601-1663), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Littlington in Cambridgeshire. He is known for his work titled "The Whole System of Divinity," published in 1654.

In the 18th century, John Bedwell (1700-1774) was a prominent English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Hertfordshire from 1741 to 1747. He was also a prominent landowner and held the position of Recorder of Hertford.

During the 19th century, Henry Bedwell (1825-1897) was a notable English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club. He was a right-handed batsman and served as the club's secretary for several years.

In more recent times, Sir Kenneth Bedwell (1919-2002) was a distinguished British civil servant and diplomat who served as the Governor of the Falkland Islands from 1977 to 1980 and later as the Governor of Bermuda from 1983 to 1988.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bedwell

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

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 Bedwell was:

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 Bedwell has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Bedwell was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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