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

Churchwell, 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 Churchwell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Churchwell in America

Churchwell is the 11423rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Churchwell surname appeared 2,758 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 Churchwell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Churchwell 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 Churchwell

The surname Churchwell is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and it first appeared in England in the early Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old English words "cirice" meaning church and "wielle" meaning a spring or stream, suggesting that the original bearers of this name lived near a church or a spring.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Churchwell can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a "Ciricewelle" in Wiltshire, which is believed to be a reference to a place name that later evolved into Churchwell.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records as "Chirchewell" and "Churchewell", reflecting the evolution of the spelling over time. During this period, the surname was primarily concentrated in the counties of Wiltshire, Somerset, and Gloucestershire, where several families bearing this name were established.

One notable bearer of the Churchwell surname was John Churchwell, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in Bristol, England, in the late 15th century. He is recorded as having donated funds for the construction of the Church of St. John the Baptist in Bristol in 1487.

Another prominent figure was Sir Thomas Churchwell (1536-1612), who served as a Member of Parliament for Wiltshire and was appointed as a Justice of the Peace for the county. He was also a respected landowner and held several estates in the region.

In the 17th century, the Churchwell family expanded their influence, with members holding positions of importance in various parts of England. One such individual was Richard Churchwell (1611-1680), a clergyman who served as the Vicar of Bridgwater in Somerset and was known for his scholarly works on theology.

During the English Civil War, Captain William Churchwell (1620-1689) fought on the Parliamentarian side and played a role in the siege of Bristol in 1645. He later settled in Wiltshire and was granted lands in recognition of his military service.

The Churchwell surname also found its way across the Atlantic, with several families emigrating to the American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of John Churchwell, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 and established a plantation in the colony.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Churchwell

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

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

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

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