2000
#1,021
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,317
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.61
Uncommon Last name
Newell
From English origins, referring to someone who lived near a yew tree or near a new hall or building.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 36,013 Americans carry the last name Newell. That puts it at #1,098 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,518 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Newell 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 Newell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
36K
1 in 9,518
Census rank
#1,098
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
31K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 31,405 bearers of the surname Newell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1098th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Newell, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Newell
The surname Newell is of English origin, and it can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English words "niwe" and "feld," which together mean "new field" or "new clearing." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a newly cleared area of land or a recently established settlement.
The name Newell is believed to have first appeared in the medieval records of Derbyshire, a county in the East Midlands of England. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1199, where a certain William Newell is mentioned.
In the Domesday Book, a great survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, there are several place names that may have contributed to the development of the surname Newell. These include Newelle in Herefordshire and Neuuill in Lincolnshire.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name Newell began to appear more frequently in various records across England. For instance, a William Newell was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, while a John Newell was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1344.
One notable individual with the surname Newell was Thomas Newell, a theologian and Puritan minister who lived from 1593 to 1670. He was born in Hertfordshire and served as the rector of Berkhampstead and Tiddington.
Another significant figure was Robert Newell, an English mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1636 to 1689. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society and made important contributions to the study of comets and planetary orbits.
In the 18th century, John Newell was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Radcliffe Camera in Oxford, completed in 1749.
William A. Newell, born in 1820, was an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Representative from New Jersey from 1879 to 1881.
Finally, one of the most celebrated individuals with the surname Newell was Jane Newell, an English novelist and playwright who lived from 1804 to 1861. She wrote several popular works, including "The Twins" and "The Tutor's Ward."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Newell
Among Census respondents with the surname Newell, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Newell 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 Newell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.8% · 23,820
- Black or African American15.3% · 4,819
- Two or more races4.1% · 1,297
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 1,069
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 205
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 195
Timeline
Historical Census data for Newell
Newell 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
#1,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,909
+1,592 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 11.16
Rank movement Down 43 places
2020
#1,098
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,405
-1,504 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 10.51
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,021 | 31,317 | 11.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,064 | 32,909 | 11.16 | +1,592 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 43 places |
| 2020 | #1,098 | 31,405 | 10.51 | -1,504 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 34 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 Newell 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 | #1,064 | #1,098 | -3.2% |
| Count | 32,909 | 31,405 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 11.16 | 10.51 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Newell bearers went from 32,909 to 31,405 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,064 to #1,098.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Newell
FAQ
Newell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Newell?
Name Census estimates that about 36,013 living Americans carry the surname Newell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,518 residents.
How common is Newell?
Newell ranks #1,098 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 31,405 people with the surname Newell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (36,013), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Newell.
Has Newell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Newell went from 32,909 recorded bearers to 31,405. That is a decrease of 1,504 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,064 to #1,098.
What does the Census say about the background of Newell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Newell, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Newell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.8% (23,820 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Newell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.8%), Black (15.3%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Newell (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 Newell mean?
From English origins, referring to someone who lived near a yew tree or near a new hall or building. 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 Newell (10.51 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 Newell?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Newell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.