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

Newell, 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 Newell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Newell in America

Newell is the 1064th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Newell surname appeared 32,909 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 11 people would have the surname Newell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Newell 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 Newell

The surname Newell is of English origin, and it can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English words "niwe" and "feld," which together mean "new field" or "new clearing." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a newly cleared area of land or a recently established settlement.

The name Newell is believed to have first appeared in the medieval records of Derbyshire, a county in the East Midlands of England. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1199, where a certain William Newell is mentioned.

In the Domesday Book, a great survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, there are several place names that may have contributed to the development of the surname Newell. These include Newelle in Herefordshire and Neuuill in Lincolnshire.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name Newell began to appear more frequently in various records across England. For instance, a William Newell was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, while a John Newell was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1344.

One notable individual with the surname Newell was Thomas Newell, a theologian and Puritan minister who lived from 1593 to 1670. He was born in Hertfordshire and served as the rector of Berkhampstead and Tiddington.

Another significant figure was Robert Newell, an English mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1636 to 1689. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society and made important contributions to the study of comets and planetary orbits.

In the 18th century, John Newell was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Radcliffe Camera in Oxford, completed in 1749.

William A. Newell, born in 1820, was an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Representative from New Jersey from 1879 to 1881.

Finally, one of the most celebrated individuals with the surname Newell was Jane Newell, an English novelist and playwright who lived from 1804 to 1861. She wrote several popular works, including "The Twins" and "The Tutor's Ward."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Newell

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!