2000
#13,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,027
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Longwell
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a spring or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,377 Americans carry the last name Longwell. That puts it at #13,934 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,196 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Longwell 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
2.4K
1 in 144,196
Census rank
#13,934
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,073 bearers of the surname Longwell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13934th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Longwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Longwell
The surname Longwell has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be a locational name, deriving from a place name where the first bearers of the surname lived or held land. The name is thought to be a combination of the Old English words "lang" meaning long and "well" referring to a source of water or a spring.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195, where a William de Langewelle is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already in use by the late 12th century. The spelling variations found in historical records include Longwell, Longwill, Longvile, and Longueville.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of land holdings commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are references to several places with names similar to Longwell, such as Langewelle and Longueville. These place names may have contributed to the development of the surname.
One notable bearer of the Longwell name was Sir John Longwell (c. 1520 - 1594), an English merchant and diplomat who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1573. Another was Thomas Longwell (1604 - 1679), an English clergyman and author who wrote several theological works.
In the 16th century, a branch of the Longwell family settled in Scotland, where the name was sometimes spelled Longmuir. Robert Longmuir (1565 - 1638) was a Scottish minister and author who wrote a treatise on the Book of Revelation.
During the 17th century, some members of the Longwell family migrated to the American colonies. John Longwell (1625 - 1695) was one of the early settlers of Pennsylvania, arriving in the 1680s and establishing a farm in what is now Chester County.
Another notable figure was Sir Charles Longwell (1786 - 1863), an Irish architect and engineer who designed several prominent buildings in Dublin, including the Longwell Building at Trinity College.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals who have borne the surname Longwell throughout history, reflecting its English origins and subsequent spread to other parts of the British Isles and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Longwell
Among Census respondents with the surname Longwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Longwell 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 Longwell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 1,913
- Two or more races3.2% · 67
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 12
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Longwell
Longwell 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
#14,148
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,124
+97 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 431 places
2020
#13,934
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,073
-51 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 214 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,717 | 2,027 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,148 | 2,124 | 0.72 | +97 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 431 places |
| 2020 | #13,934 | 2,073 | 0.69 | -51 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 214 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 Longwell 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 | #14,148 | #13,934 | 1.5% |
| Count | 2,124 | 2,073 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.69 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Longwell bearers went from 2,124 to 2,073 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 214 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,148 to #13,934.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Longwell
FAQ
Longwell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Longwell?
Name Census estimates that about 2,377 living Americans carry the surname Longwell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,196 residents.
How common is Longwell?
Longwell ranks #13,934 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,073 people with the surname Longwell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,377), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Longwell.
Has Longwell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Longwell went from 2,124 recorded bearers to 2,073. That is a decrease of 51 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,148 to #13,934.
What does the Census say about the background of Longwell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Longwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Longwell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (1,913 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Longwell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Longwell (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 Longwell mean?
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a spring or stream. 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 Longwell (0.69 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 Longwell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.