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

Fairwell, 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 Fairwell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fairwell in America

Fairwell is the 126765th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fairwell surname appeared 135 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 Fairwell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fairwell 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 Fairwell

The surname Fairwell is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "faer" meaning "travel" and "well" meaning "spring" or "stream". It is believed to have originated as a locational name, referring to someone who lived near a spring or stream frequented by travelers.

The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 13th century, with a certain Robert Fairwell appearing in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275. In the 14th century, the name was found in various spellings such as Fayrewell, Fayrwelle, and Fairewell.

In the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, a William Fairewell is mentioned as residing in Oxfordshire. This suggests that the name was present in different parts of England during the medieval period.

A notable individual bearing the Fairwell surname was John Fairwell, a merchant from London who was involved in the cloth trade in the late 15th century. Records indicate that he exported wool and cloth to the Netherlands and Flanders.

In the 16th century, the Fairwell name was found in the parish records of Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire. A certain Thomas Fairwell was listed as a landowner in the area in 1568.

Another person of note was Sir Edward Fairwell, a member of the English gentry who lived from 1602 to 1676. He served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Tewkesbury during the reign of King Charles I.

The name Fairwell has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Fairwell Farm in Oxfordshire and Fairwell Knoll in Gloucestershire. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, reflecting the locations where families with the Fairwell name resided.

While the Fairwell surname is not among the most common in England, it has endured over the centuries, with various spellings and variations appearing in historical records across different regions of the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fairwell

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

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

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

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