2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Patwell
A locational surname referring to someone from a settlement called Patwell.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Patwell. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Patwell 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.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Patwell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Patwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Patwell
The surname PATWELL is an English locational name that originated in the county of Norfolk, England during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "pæth" meaning path and "well" meaning a spring or stream, indicating that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a path by a spring or stream.
The earliest known recorded spelling of the name dates back to the Hundredorum Rolls of Norfolk in 1273, where it appears as William de Pattewell. This suggests that the name had already been established in the region by the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records such as the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1327, where one John Pattewell was listed. Another early reference can be found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1389, which mentions a Richard Pattewell.
During the 16th century, the name was found in various parish records, including those of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, where a marriage between William Patwell and Elizabeth Sayer was recorded in 1579.
One notable bearer of the name was John Patwell (1592-1668), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Stoke Trister in Somerset. He wrote several religious works, including "The Christian's Morning and Evening Sacrifice" (1639) and "A Godly and Learned Treatise of Prayer" (1640).
Another individual of note was Thomas Patwell (1696-1766), a British architect who designed several country houses and churches in the Georgian style, including the Church of St. Mary in Nottingham.
In the 18th century, the name appeared in various records, such as the Parish Registers of St. Alphege in Canterbury, Kent, where the baptism of Elizabeth Patwell was recorded in 1732.
A notable bearer of the name in the 19th century was Henry Patwell (1818-1892), a British businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the textile industry. He donated generously to various charitable causes, including the establishment of a hospital in his hometown of Bradford.
Finally, in the 20th century, one notable individual was Sir Edward Patwell (1912-1998), a British diplomat who served as the Ambassador to several countries, including France and Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Patwell
Among Census respondents with the surname Patwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Patwell 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 Patwell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Patwell
Patwell 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,512 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,496 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,512 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 1,496 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 Patwell 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 | #147,253 | #145,757 | 1.0% |
| Count | 112 | 115 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Patwell bearers went from 112 to 115 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 1,496 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #145,757.
FAQ
Patwell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Patwell?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Patwell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Patwell?
Patwell ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Patwell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Patwell.
Has Patwell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Patwell went from 112 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 3 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Patwell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Patwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Patwell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Patwell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (4.3%), Black (1.7%). 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 Patwell (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 Patwell mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a settlement called Patwell. 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 Patwell (0.04 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 Patwell?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Patwell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.