2000
#13,245
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Southwell
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Southwell in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,525 Americans carry the last name Southwell. That puts it at #13,272 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 135,744 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Southwell 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 Southwell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 135,744
Census rank
#13,272
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,202 bearers of the surname Southwell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13272nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Southwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Southwell
The surname Southwell originated in England, with the earliest records dating back to the 11th century. It is a locational name derived from the town of Southwell in Nottinghamshire. The name is composed of the Old English words "sūth" meaning "south" and "well" referring to a spring or stream.
Southwell is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, recorded as "Sudwell" and "Sudwelle." This indicates that the name was well-established in the region by the time of the Norman Conquest. The town of Southwell was an important ecclesiastical center, home to the Collegiate Church of St. Mary the Virgin, which may have contributed to the name's early prominence.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Southwell was Robert de Southwell, a 13th-century cleric and canon of the Collegiate Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Southwell. Another notable early figure was Sir Richard Southwell (c. 1504-1564), a courtier and diplomat during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI.
In the 16th century, the Jesuit priest and poet Robert Southwell (c. 1561-1595) gained fame for his religious works and martyrdom for his Catholic faith during the reign of Elizabeth I. His nephew, Thomas Southwell (c. 1592-1637), was a Benedictine monk and author.
Other notable individuals with the Southwell surname include Edward Southwell (1671-1730), an English clergyman and writer, and Sir Richard Southwell (1644-1702), an English diplomat and Secretary of State for Ireland under William III.
The name Southwell has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Southwell Park in Norfolk and Southwell Minster, the cathedral church in Nottinghamshire, which was built on the site of the former Collegiate Church of St. Mary the Virgin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Southwell
Among Census respondents with the surname Southwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Southwell 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 Southwell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.8% · 1,780
- Black or African American10.9% · 241
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 92
- Two or more races3.3% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Southwell
Southwell 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
#13,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,243
+130 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 280 places
2020
#13,272
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,202
-41 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Up 253 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,245 | 2,113 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,525 | 2,243 | 0.76 | +130 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 280 places |
| 2020 | #13,272 | 2,202 | 0.74 | -41 bearers (-1.8%) | Up 253 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 Southwell 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 | #13,525 | #13,272 | 1.9% |
| Count | 2,243 | 2,202 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.74 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Southwell bearers went from 2,243 to 2,202 (-1.8% change). The surname moved up 253 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,525 to #13,272.
FAQ
Southwell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Southwell?
Name Census estimates that about 2,525 living Americans carry the surname Southwell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 135,744 residents.
How common is Southwell?
Southwell ranks #13,272 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,202 people with the surname Southwell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,525), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Southwell.
Has Southwell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Southwell went from 2,243 recorded bearers to 2,202. That is a decrease of 41 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,525 to #13,272.
What does the Census say about the background of Southwell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Southwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Southwell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.8% (1,780 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Southwell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.8%), Black (10.9%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Southwell (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 Southwell mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Southwell in England. 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 Southwell (0.74 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 Southwell?
Want to know how many people have the last name Southwell? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.