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

Wells, 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 Wells surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wells in America

Wells is the 147th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wells surname appeared 176,230 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 60 people would have the surname Wells.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wells 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 Wells

The surname Wells is of English origin and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is a topographical name, derived from the Old English word 'wielle', meaning a spring or stream. The name was originally given to someone who lived near a well or natural spring.

In its earliest forms, the name was recorded as 'atte Welle' or 'at Welle' in the 13th century. This suggests that the name originally referred to someone who lived near a specific well or water source. Over time, the 'atte' or 'at' was dropped, and the name became simply Wells.

The surname can be traced back to various parts of England, including Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Kent. It is particularly prevalent in areas with an abundance of natural springs and wells, which were important sources of water for communities in earlier times.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wells appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a Robert atte Welle is mentioned in Oxfordshire. The Domesday Book of 1086 also contains references to places with the name 'Welle', such as Wells in Somerset, which may have been the origin of some early bearers of the surname.

Notable individuals with the surname Wells throughout history include:

1. Samuel Wells (1614-1675), an English Congregational minister and one of the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
2. William Charles Wells (1757-1817), an American physician and scientist known for his contributions to the study of dew and the discovery of the Wells-Gye effect.
3. Herbert George Wells (1866-1946), the renowned English writer and pioneer of science fiction, best known for works like "The Time Machine" and "The War of the Worlds".
4. Ida B. Wells (1862-1931), an African American investigative journalist and civil rights activist who played a pivotal role in the anti-lynching movement.
5. Orson Welles (1915-1985), the American actor, director, and writer, famous for his innovative work in film, including masterpieces like "Citizen Kane" and "The Magnificent Ambersons".

The surname Wells has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Wells-next-the-Sea in Norfolk and Wells in Somerset, which was formerly known as Welle or Wells-by-the-Sea.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wells

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

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

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