2000
#19,232
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,305
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.48
Rare Last name
Eells
A surname derived from a place name, possibly related to the town of Eeles in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,768 Americans carry the last name Eells. That puts it at #17,866 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 193,866 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eells 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.
Bearers in the US
1.8K
1 in 193,866
Census rank
#17,866
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,542 bearers of the surname Eells in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17866th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eells, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eells
Among Census respondents with the surname Eells, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Eells 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 Eells surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 1,440
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 51
- Two or more races1.6% · 25
- Black or African American0.6% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eells
Eells 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
#19,189
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,415
+110 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Up 43 places
2020
#17,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,542
+127 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Up 1,323 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,232 | 1,305 | 0.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,189 | 1,415 | 0.48 | +110 bearers (+8.4%) | Up 43 places |
| 2020 | #17,866 | 1,542 | 0.52 | +127 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 1,323 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 Eells 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 | #19,189 | #17,866 | 6.9% |
| Count | 1,415 | 1,542 | 9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.48 | 0.52 | 7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eells bearers went from 1,415 to 1,542 (+9.0% change). The surname moved up 1,323 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,189 to #17,866.
FAQ
Eells surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eells?
Name Census estimates that about 1,768 living Americans carry the surname Eells. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 193,866 residents.
How common is Eells?
Eells ranks #17,866 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.52 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 1,542 people with the surname Eells. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,768), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.52 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 Eells.
Has Eells become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eells went from 1,415 recorded bearers to 1,542. That is an increase of 127 (+9.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #19,189 to #17,866.
What does the Census say about the background of Eells?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eells, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Eells in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (1,440 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eells appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Eells (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 Eells mean?
A surname derived from a place name, possibly related to the town of Eeles in England. 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 Eells (0.52 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 Eells?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Eells on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.