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

Stowell, 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 Stowell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Stowell in America

Stowell is the 5390th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Stowell surname appeared 6,455 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Stowell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Stowell 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 Stowell

The surname STOWELL is of English origin and is thought to have derived from the Old English words "stow" meaning "place" and "well" referring to a water source, suggesting it was originally a locational name for someone who lived near a well or spring. It may have been given as a surname to distinguish individuals from the place they inhabited.

The earliest recorded instances of the name appear in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Stouuuelle" in Lincolnshire and "Stouwelle" in Suffolk. This suggests the name was present in various parts of England by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, records show a Henry de Stouwell from Gloucestershire in 1273. The "de" prefix indicates the name was used as a locational surname during this period.

The STOWELL surname was also found in Somerset, with John Stowell being recorded in 1327 in the Subsidy Rolls for that county.

One of the earliest notable figures with this surname was Sir John Stowell (c.1347-1427), a member of parliament for Somerset and a knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War. He was born in Cotlestone, Somerset.

Another individual of note was William Stowell (c.1505-1572), an English Protestant reformer and clergyman who served as a chaplain to Edward VI and Elizabeth I.

In the 17th century, Rev. William Scott Stowell (1621-1662) was an English minister who served as Rector of Farnham Royal in Buckinghamshire.

During the 18th century, Joseph Stowell (1740-1826) was a renowned English Congregational minister and author from Ipswich, Suffolk.

One of the more famous bearers of the STOWELL name was Lord William Stowell (1785-1858), an English judge and jurist who served as Judge of the High Court of Admiralty.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Stowell

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

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

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

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