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

Eells, 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 Eells surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Eells in America

Eells is the 19189th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Eells surname appeared 1,415 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 Eells.

We can also compare 2010 data for Eells 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 Eells

The surname EELLS is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the Old English words "ęl" meaning "eel" and "feldes" meaning "fields", suggesting that the name originated from a place where eels were found in abundance.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name EELLS can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Norfolk, England, from 1273, where it appears as "de Elfeld". This spelling variation highlights the connection to the Old English words and the place name from which the surname originated.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where it was spelled "Eelfelde". This suggests that the name had started to take on a more recognizable form during this period.

The EELLS surname is also associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was John Eells (1604-1670), an English-born Puritan minister who immigrated to America and served as the co-founder of the town of Hingham, Massachusetts. Another notable bearer of the name was Nathaniel Eells (1670-1750), an American minister and educator who served as the second president of Yale College (now Yale University) from 1730 to 1740.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname EELLS was particularly concentrated in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex in England. During this time, various spellings such as "Eellis", "Eyles", and "Ealse" were also used.

Another notable figure with the EELLS surname was Richard Eells (1809-1900), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the town of Ellsworth, Kansas, and played a significant role in the development of the state's infrastructure.

In the 19th century, the EELLS name appeared in various historical records and accounts, including the biography of Samuel Eells (1805-1890), a prominent American educator and author who served as the principal of the Monson Academy in Massachusetts.

While the EELLS surname has its origins in England, it has since spread across the globe, with bearers of the name found in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Eells

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

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

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

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