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

Sewell, 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 Sewell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sewell in America

Sewell is the 1614th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sewell surname appeared 22,294 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 people would have the surname Sewell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sewell 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 Sewell

The surname Sewell has its origins in England, where it can be traced back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known references to the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is recorded as Sewale.

The name is believed to have derived from the Old English words "sae" meaning sea or lake, and "wall" meaning a wall or rampart, suggesting it may have originally referred to someone who lived near a sea wall or coastal fortification. It could also be a locational name, referring to a place called Sewell or a similar-sounding town.

The surname is found in various early records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where it appears as Suwale. In the 14th century, the name was also recorded in the forms Suwell and Sewale in various parts of England, indicating its widespread use.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was John de Sewell, who was mentioned in the Records of the Borough of Leicester in 1327. Another notable early example is William Sewell, who was born in Coventry, Warwickshire, in 1598 and later became a prominent lawyer and member of Parliament.

The Sewell surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history, including George Sewell (1652-1726), an English theologian and author; Henry Sewell (1807-1879), a British politician and Premier of New Zealand; and Anna Sewell (1820-1878), the English author best known for the classic novel "Black Beauty."

Other notable individuals with the Sewell surname include Sterten Sewell (1783-1849), an English painter and illustrator; and Elizabeth Sewell (1815-1906), a British author and philanthropist who founded the Society for Promoting the Employment of Women.

While the Sewell surname is found in various parts of the world today, its origins can be traced back to England, where it has been documented in historical records dating back to the 13th century and has been borne by numerous individuals of note over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sewell

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

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

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

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