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

Thelwell, 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 Thelwell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thelwell in America

Thelwell is the 80926th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thelwell surname appeared 234 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 Thelwell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thelwell 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 Thelwell

The surname Thelwell originates from England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from a place name, either the village of Thelwall in Cheshire or Thelwell in Somerset. The name itself is composed of Old English elements: "þel" meaning "plank bridge" or "wooden causeway," and "walh" meaning "foreigner" or "stranger."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Thelwell can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1275, where it appears as "Thellewell." This suggests that the name was already established in the region at that time.

The Thelwell surname has been associated with various notable figures throughout history. In the 16th century, William Thelwell (c. 1535-1597) was a prominent English Catholic priest and writer who was executed for his religious beliefs during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

During the 17th century, Edward Thelwell (1567-1630) was an English clergyman and author, known for his writings on the Book of Revelation. He served as the rector of Compton Dando in Somerset.

In the 18th century, John Thelwell (1764-1838) was a political reformer and elocutionist from London. He advocated for parliamentary reform and founded the first institution dedicated to the study and teaching of elocution in England.

The 19th century saw the rise of Norman Thelwell (1923-2004), a renowned British cartoonist and illustrator. He is best known for his humorous depictions of ponies and their young riders, capturing the joys and challenges of the equestrian world.

Another notable figure was Sir Ralph Thelwell (1564-1624), an English landowner and Member of Parliament who represented Somerset in the early 17th century. He played a significant role in the development of the Somerset Levels, overseeing drainage works in the region.

The Thelwell surname has also been linked to various place names throughout England, such as Thelwall in Cheshire, Thelwell Green in Staffordshire, and Thelwell Moor in Somerset. These locations likely influenced the spelling variations of the surname over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thelwell

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

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

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

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