2000
#1,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,143
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.58
Uncommon Last name
Jewell
A toponymic surname derived from various places in England sharing the Old French root "juel," meaning "forest clearing."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 25,626 Americans carry the last name Jewell. That puts it at #1,564 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,375 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jewell 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 Jewell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 13,375
Census rank
#1,564
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
22K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,347 bearers of the surname Jewell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1564th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jewell, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jewell
The surname Jewell is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "juel" or "jouel," which means "jewel." This surname likely emerged during the Middle Ages and was initially an occupational name for someone who crafted or sold jewels or precious stones.
The name Jewell can be traced back to various regions across England, particularly in counties such as Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Gloucestershire. Historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries, including the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 and the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, mention individuals with the surname Jewell or variations like Juel, Juwel, and Juwele.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Jewell appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195, where a person named William Juel is mentioned. In the Curia Regis Rolls of Worcestershire from 1221, a certain Roger Juel is listed.
The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not include the surname Jewell directly, but it does mention place names like Juillieres in Essex, which may have influenced the development of the surname from a locational perspective.
Notable individuals with the surname Jewell throughout history include:
1. John Jewell (c. 1522-1571), an English Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his influential work "An Apology of the Church of England."
2. John Jewell (c. 1701-1766), an English architect and surveyor, responsible for designing numerous buildings in London, including the church of St. Luke's Old Street.
3. Pliny Jewell (1804-1869), an American politician and lawyer who served as the 16th Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut from 1861 to 1863.
4. Marshall Jewell (1825-1883), an American politician and businessman who served as the 28th Governor of Connecticut from 1869 to 1873 and as the United States Postmaster General from 1874 to 1876.
5. Sarah Orne Jewell (1870-1955), an American writer and editor known for her works on New England history and folklore, including "Casco Bay Thaxter" and "Old Trails and New Alleys."
The surname Jewell has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Jewell Green in Buckinghamshire, Jewell's Farm in Somerset, and Jewell's Hill in Wiltshire, potentially indicating the historical presence of families bearing this surname in these areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jewell
Among Census respondents with the surname Jewell, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Jewell 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 Jewell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.1% · 19,232
- Black or African American5.9% · 1,311
- Two or more races4.1% · 926
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 620
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 143
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 115
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jewell
Jewell 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
#1,550
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,187
+44 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 7.86
Rank movement Down 143 places
2020
#1,564
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,347
-840 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 7.48
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,407 | 23,143 | 8.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,550 | 23,187 | 7.86 | +44 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 143 places |
| 2020 | #1,564 | 22,347 | 7.48 | -840 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 14 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 Jewell 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 | #1,550 | #1,564 | -0.9% |
| Count | 23,187 | 22,347 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 7.86 | 7.48 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jewell bearers went from 23,187 to 22,347 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,550 to #1,564.
FAQ
Jewell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jewell?
Name Census estimates that about 25,626 living Americans carry the surname Jewell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,375 residents.
How common is Jewell?
Jewell ranks #1,564 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,347 people with the surname Jewell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (25,626), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Jewell.
Has Jewell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jewell went from 23,187 recorded bearers to 22,347. That is a decrease of 840 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,550 to #1,564.
What does the Census say about the background of Jewell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jewell, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Jewell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.1% (19,232 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jewell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.1%), Black (5.9%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Jewell (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 Jewell mean?
A toponymic surname derived from various places in England sharing the Old French root "juel," meaning "forest clearing." 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 Jewell (7.48 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 Jewell?
Want to know how many people have the surname Jewell? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.