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

Showell, 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 Showell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Showell in America

Showell is the 29334th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Showell surname appeared 806 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Showell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Showell 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 Showell

The surname Showell is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "scua" meaning "shade" or "shadow" and "heal" meaning "hall" or "dwelling." The name likely referred to someone who lived in a shaded or shadowy hall or dwelling.

The earliest known record of the surname Showell can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where it appears as "Sewale." Other early spellings include "Shovewell" and "Shewale." The name may have been influenced by the place name Showell in Staffordshire, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Sceveld."

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Showell was John Showell, who was born in the village of Showell, Staffordshire, in 1425. Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Robert Showell, a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, the Showell family established themselves as prominent landowners and gentry in Worcestershire. Thomas Showell (1590-1658) was a wealthy merchant and benefactor who endowed the Showell Chantry in the Church of St. Martin's in Worcester. His son, Richard Showell (1628-1698), was a renowned scholar and clergyman who served as the Rector of Badsey in Worcestershire.

During the English Civil War, Captain William Showell (1620-1689) fought for the Parliamentarian forces and was awarded lands in Ireland for his service. His descendants settled in County Tipperary, where they became influential landowners and members of the Anglo-Irish gentry.

In the 19th century, Emily Showell (1834-1919) was a notable English novelist and poet who wrote under the pen name "Violet Fane." She was known for her vivid depictions of rural life and her advocacy for women's rights.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Showell

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Showell, 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!