2000
#13,333
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,097
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Fewell
Derived from a place name meaning "bird hill" or "fowl hill" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,379 Americans carry the last name Fewell. That puts it at #13,921 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,075 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fewell 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 Fewell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 144,075
Census rank
#13,921
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,075 bearers of the surname Fewell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13921st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fewell, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.4%. The next largest groups are Black (17.7%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fewell
The surname Fewell is derived from the Old English word "fyll" or "ful," meaning "full" or "complete." It originated in England during the medieval period, possibly as an occupational name for someone who worked as a fuller, a person responsible for thickening and shrinking woolen cloth by applying moisture and heat.
Fewell is believed to have roots in various regions of England, particularly in counties like Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset, where the wool trade was prevalent during the Middle Ages. The name's earliest recorded instances date back to the late 13th century, with variations such as Fulur, Fullere, and Fuller appearing in historical documents.
One notable early reference to the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which documented landowners and their properties in England. The records mention individuals with the surname Fuller, the precursor to Fewell.
In the 14th century, the surname Fewell emerged as a distinct variation, with records indicating individuals bearing this name in various parts of England. For instance, John Fewell was recorded as a resident of Somerset in 1327, while William Fewell was documented in Gloucestershire in 1379.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals bore the surname Fewell. One example is John Fewell (1561-1638), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Rector of Stratford-upon-Avon and was a contemporary of William Shakespeare.
Another prominent figure was Sir Bartholomew Fewell (1617-1692), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament who played a significant role in the Glorious Revolution of 1688.
In the 18th century, Thomas Fewell (1728-1795) was a renowned English architect and surveyor known for his work on several churches and public buildings in London.
Moving into the 19th century, John Fewell (1789-1879) was an English engraver and painter who gained recognition for his landscape etchings and watercolors.
Additionally, Charles Fewell (1835-1908) was a notable English cricketer who played first-class cricket for several teams, including Nottinghamshire and Gloucestershire.
While the surname Fewell has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval occupational name associated with the wool trade in various regions of England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fewell
Among Census respondents with the surname Fewell, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.4%. The next largest groups are Black (17.7%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Fewell 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 Fewell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.4% · 1,482
- Black or African American17.7% · 368
- Two or more races5.6% · 117
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fewell
Fewell 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
#13,505
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,247
+150 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 172 places
2020
#13,921
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,075
-172 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 416 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,333 | 2,097 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,505 | 2,247 | 0.76 | +150 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 172 places |
| 2020 | #13,921 | 2,075 | 0.69 | -172 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 416 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 Fewell 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 | #13,505 | #13,921 | -3.1% |
| Count | 2,247 | 2,075 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.69 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fewell bearers went from 2,247 to 2,075 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 416 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,505 to #13,921.
FAQ
Fewell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fewell?
Name Census estimates that about 2,379 living Americans carry the surname Fewell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,075 residents.
How common is Fewell?
Fewell ranks #13,921 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,075 people with the surname Fewell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,379), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Fewell.
Has Fewell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fewell went from 2,247 recorded bearers to 2,075. That is a decrease of 172 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,505 to #13,921.
What does the Census say about the background of Fewell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fewell, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.4%. The next largest groups are Black (17.7%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Fewell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.4% (1,482 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fewell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.4%), Black (17.7%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Fewell (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 Fewell mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "bird hill" or "fowl hill" 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 Fewell (0.69 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 Fewell?
See how common the surname Fewell is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.