2000
#7,779
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,938
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.46
Rare Last name
Yowell
Derived from a place name meaning "hill frequented by birds of prey" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,282 Americans carry the last name Yowell. That puts it at #10,659 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,435 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yowell 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.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 104,435
Census rank
#10,659
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,862 bearers of the surname Yowell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10659th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yowell, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yowell
The surname YOWELL is believed to have originated in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "yofel," which means "yule" or "Christmas." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone born around the Christmas season or someone who lived near a place associated with the holiday.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the YOWELL surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where it appears as "Yovill." This spelling variation likely arose due to the influence of the town of Yeovil in Somerset, which was historically known as "Yovill" or "Yvyll."
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various tax records and legal documents, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1327, where it was spelled as "Yowell." This spelling seems to have become more standardized over time, although variations like "Youell" and "Yewell" were also common.
One notable historical figure with the YOWELL surname was John Yowell, who lived in the late 16th century and was a prominent merchant in Bristol, England. Another individual of note was Thomas Yowell, born in 1609 in Gloucestershire, who was a prominent Puritan and a member of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the early days of British settlement in North America.
In the 17th century, the YOWELL surname made its way across the Atlantic, with several families of that name settling in Virginia and other American colonies. One such individual was William Yowell, born in 1635 in Virginia, who was a landowner and planter in the colony.
Another significant figure with the YOWELL surname was Samuel Yowell, born in 1718 in Virginia. He was a prominent surveyor and cartographer who worked extensively in the Ohio Valley region, contributing to the mapping and exploration of the American frontier.
As the centuries progressed, the YOWELL surname continued to spread throughout England, the United States, and other parts of the English-speaking world, with various branches and families establishing themselves in different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yowell
Among Census respondents with the surname Yowell, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Yowell 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 Yowell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.8% · 2,369
- Black or African American9.2% · 263
- Two or more races3.3% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 88
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yowell
Yowell 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
#9,784
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,311
-627 bearers (-15.9%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Down 2,005 places
2020
#10,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,862
-449 bearers (-13.6%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 875 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,779 | 3,938 | 1.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,784 | 3,311 | 1.12 | -627 bearers (-15.9%) | Down 2,005 places |
| 2020 | #10,659 | 2,862 | 0.96 | -449 bearers (-13.6%) | Down 875 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 Yowell 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 | #9,784 | #10,659 | -8.9% |
| Count | 3,311 | 2,862 | -13.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.12 | 0.96 | -14.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yowell bearers went from 3,311 to 2,862 (-13.6% change). The surname moved down 875 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,784 to #10,659.
FAQ
Yowell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yowell?
Name Census estimates that about 3,282 living Americans carry the surname Yowell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,435 residents.
How common is Yowell?
Yowell ranks #10,659 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 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 2,862 people with the surname Yowell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,282), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 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 Yowell.
Has Yowell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yowell went from 3,311 recorded bearers to 2,862. That is a decrease of 449 (-13.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,784 to #10,659.
What does the Census say about the background of Yowell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yowell, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Yowell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.8% (2,369 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yowell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.8%), Black (9.2%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Yowell (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 Yowell mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "hill frequented by birds of prey" in Old English. 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 Yowell (0.96 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 surname Yowell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.