2000
#6,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,287
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.96
Rare Last name
Elwell
From the Old English elements "ēa" meaning water and "well" meaning spring, likely referring to someone living near a spring.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,866 Americans carry the last name Elwell. That puts it at #6,391 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,431 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Elwell 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 Elwell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 58,431
Census rank
#6,391
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,115 bearers of the surname Elwell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6391st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Elwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Elwell
The surname Elwell has its origins in England, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from an Old English place name, possibly related to the word "awell" or "aewell," meaning a stream or spring.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, which mention a Richard de Ellewelle. This suggests that the name may have originated in that county, possibly from a place name that has since been lost or changed over time.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as Eluell, Elwill, and Elwel, reflecting the fluidity of spelling conventions in that era. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 record a Richard de Eluell in Oxfordshire, while the Patent Rolls of 1329 mention a John Elwel from Surrey.
Elwell is also thought to have been an old place name in Somerset, where a village called Elwell existed near Taunton. This may have contributed to the spread of the surname in that region.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Elwell, a merchant and Member of Parliament for Bristol in the late 16th century (1529-1589). Another was Edward Elwell, a Puritan minister who emigrated from England to Massachusetts in the 1630s and became one of the founders of the town of Gloucester.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various records, such as the Visitation of Somerset in 1623, which lists a family of that name. Thomas Elwell (1621-1688) was a prominent Quaker minister and writer from Warwickshire.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Elwell surname continued to be found across England, particularly in the counties of Somerset, Devon, and Gloucestershire. Notable individuals from this period include John Elwell (1743-1805), a Baptist minister and author from Gloucestershire, and Robert Elwell (1767-1847), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Elwell
Among Census respondents with the surname Elwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Elwell 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 Elwell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 4,576
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 214
- Two or more races3.4% · 175
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 45
- Black or African American0.8% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Elwell
Elwell 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
#6,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,326
+39 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 1.81
Rank movement Down 391 places
2020
#6,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,115
-211 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement No rank change
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,000 | 5,287 | 1.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,391 | 5,326 | 1.81 | +39 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 391 places |
| 2020 | #6,391 | 5,115 | 1.71 | -211 bearers (-4.0%) | No rank change |
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 Elwell 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 | #6,391 | #6,391 | 0.0% |
| Count | 5,326 | 5,115 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.81 | 1.71 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Elwell bearers went from 5,326 to 5,115 (-4.0% change). The surname held its position in the national ranking, remaining at #6,391.
FAQ
Elwell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Elwell?
Name Census estimates that about 5,866 living Americans carry the surname Elwell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,431 residents.
How common is Elwell?
Elwell ranks #6,391 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,115 people with the surname Elwell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,866), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Elwell.
Has Elwell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Elwell went from 5,326 recorded bearers to 5,115. That is a decrease of 211 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it stayed at #6,391.
What does the Census say about the background of Elwell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Elwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Elwell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (4,576 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Elwell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Elwell (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 Elwell mean?
From the Old English elements "ēa" meaning water and "well" meaning spring, likely referring to someone living near a spring. 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 Elwell (1.71 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 Elwell?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Elwell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.