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

Elwell, 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 Elwell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Elwell in America

Elwell is the 6391st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Elwell surname appeared 5,326 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Elwell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Elwell 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 Elwell

The surname Elwell has its origins in England, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from an Old English place name, possibly related to the word "awell" or "aewell," meaning a stream or spring.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, which mention a Richard de Ellewelle. This suggests that the name may have originated in that county, possibly from a place name that has since been lost or changed over time.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as Eluell, Elwill, and Elwel, reflecting the fluidity of spelling conventions in that era. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 record a Richard de Eluell in Oxfordshire, while the Patent Rolls of 1329 mention a John Elwel from Surrey.

Elwell is also thought to have been an old place name in Somerset, where a village called Elwell existed near Taunton. This may have contributed to the spread of the surname in that region.

One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Elwell, a merchant and Member of Parliament for Bristol in the late 16th century (1529-1589). Another was Edward Elwell, a Puritan minister who emigrated from England to Massachusetts in the 1630s and became one of the founders of the town of Gloucester.

In the 17th century, the name appears in various records, such as the Visitation of Somerset in 1623, which lists a family of that name. Thomas Elwell (1621-1688) was a prominent Quaker minister and writer from Warwickshire.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Elwell surname continued to be found across England, particularly in the counties of Somerset, Devon, and Gloucestershire. Notable individuals from this period include John Elwell (1743-1805), a Baptist minister and author from Gloucestershire, and Robert Elwell (1767-1847), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Elwell

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

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

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

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