2000
#8,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,396
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.26
Rare Last name
Conwell
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "holy spring" or "holy well" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,194 Americans carry the last name Conwell. That puts it at #8,619 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,725 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Conwell 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 Conwell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 81,725
Census rank
#8,619
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,657 bearers of the surname Conwell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8619th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Conwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.9%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Conwell
The surname Conwell is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English words "cune" meaning "bold" and "welle" meaning "spring" or "stream". It is believed to have originated in the region of Warwickshire, England, and was initially used to denote someone who lived near a bold or brave spring or stream.
The name can be traced back to the 11th century, with early records showing variations in spelling such as Cunwelle, Conewelle, and Conwalle. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landowner named Godric Conewelle is listed as holding a manor in Warwickshire.
In the 13th century, a notable individual bearing the name was John Conwell, a monk and chronicler from the Abbey of Evesham in Worcestershire. His writings provide valuable insights into the history and daily life of the abbey during that time period.
During the 14th century, the Conwell family gained prominence in Somerset, where they held lands and estates. One of the most notable members was Sir John Conwell, a knight who fought alongside Edward III in the Hundred Years' War against France. He was born in 1310 and died in 1378.
In the 16th century, the name appears in records from the city of Bristol, with a merchant named William Conwell (1525-1592) being a prominent figure in the city's trade and commerce.
Another notable individual was John Conwell (1608-1661), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Ipswich in Suffolk. He is best known for his work titled "The Doctrine of the Sabbath", which was published in 1644.
In the 18th century, the name gained recognition through the life of Russell Conwell (1743-1825), an American educator and philanthropist. He founded the Conwell Academy in Pennsylvania, which later became part of the public school system.
As the name spread across different regions, various spellings emerged, such as Conwill, Conville, and Conville. However, the most common spelling has remained Conwell.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Conwell
Among Census respondents with the surname Conwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.9%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Conwell 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 Conwell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.9% · 2,484
- Black or African American22.7% · 831
- Two or more races4.4% · 162
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 127
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Conwell
Conwell 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
#8,579
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,839
+443 bearers (+13.0%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Up 287 places
2020
#8,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,657
-182 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 40 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,866 | 3,396 | 1.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,579 | 3,839 | 1.30 | +443 bearers (+13.0%) | Up 287 places |
| 2020 | #8,619 | 3,657 | 1.22 | -182 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 40 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 Conwell 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 | #8,579 | #8,619 | -0.5% |
| Count | 3,839 | 3,657 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.30 | 1.22 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Conwell bearers went from 3,839 to 3,657 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 40 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,579 to #8,619.
FAQ
Conwell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Conwell?
Name Census estimates that about 4,194 living Americans carry the surname Conwell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,725 residents.
How common is Conwell?
Conwell ranks #8,619 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,657 people with the surname Conwell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,194), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Conwell.
Has Conwell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Conwell went from 3,839 recorded bearers to 3,657. That is a decrease of 182 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,579 to #8,619.
What does the Census say about the background of Conwell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Conwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.9%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Conwell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.9% (2,484 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Conwell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.9%), Black (22.7%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Conwell (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 Conwell mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "holy spring" or "holy well" in Old English. 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 Conwell (1.22 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 surname Conwell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.