2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Norwell
A locational surname derived from a place name referring to a northern or northerly settlement or dwelling.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 149 Americans carry the last name Norwell. That puts it at #134,631 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,300,365 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Norwell 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 Norwell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
149
1 in 2,300,365
Census rank
#134,631
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
130
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 130 bearers of the surname Norwell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 134631st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Norwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Norwell
The surname Norwell originated from England. It is derived from the Old English words 'nor' meaning north and 'well' meaning a spring or stream of water. The name refers to a settlement or dwelling located near a northern stream or spring.
Norwell is an ancient surname that can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was recorded as 'Norwell' and 'Norewell'. The earliest known bearer of the name was William de Norwell, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1176.
The surname is also closely associated with the village of Norwell in Nottinghamshire, England. The name of the village was first recorded as 'Northwell' in the Domesday Book, and it is believed that some of the earliest bearers of the Norwell surname originated from this area.
One notable bearer of the Norwell surname was Sir Henry de Norwell, who was a prominent English knight and landowner during the 13th century. He was born in 1230 and served as a member of the King's council during the reign of King Edward I.
Another historical figure with the Norwell surname was William Norwell, a 15th-century English clergyman and academic. He was born in Norwell, Nottinghamshire in 1390 and served as the Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1452 to 1453.
In the 16th century, John Norwell was a renowned English poet and playwright. He was born in Norwell, Nottinghamshire in 1520 and is best known for his work "The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke", which is believed to have influenced William Shakespeare's famous play "Hamlet".
During the 17th century, Thomas Norwell was a prominent English lawyer and judge. He was born in Norwell, Nottinghamshire in 1605 and served as a Justice of the Court of King's Bench from 1660 to 1679.
Another notable bearer of the Norwell surname was Sir Edward Norwell, an English military officer and Member of Parliament. He was born in Norwell, Nottinghamshire in 1670 and served in the British Army during the War of the Spanish Succession.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Norwell
Among Census respondents with the surname Norwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Norwell 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 Norwell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.8% · 109
- Black or African American5.4% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 6
- Two or more races3.8% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Norwell
Norwell 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+11 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 880 places
2020
#134,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,252 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 880 places |
| 2020 | #134,631 | 130 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 3,252 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 Norwell 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 | #131,379 | #134,631 | -2.5% |
| Count | 129 | 130 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Norwell bearers went from 129 to 130 (+0.8% change). The surname moved down 3,252 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #134,631.
FAQ
Norwell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Norwell?
Name Census estimates that about 149 living Americans carry the surname Norwell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,300,365 residents.
How common is Norwell?
Norwell ranks #134,631 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 130 people with the surname Norwell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (149), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Norwell.
Has Norwell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Norwell went from 129 recorded bearers to 130. That is an increase of 1 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #134,631.
What does the Census say about the background of Norwell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Norwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Norwell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.8% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Norwell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.8%), Black (5.4%), Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Norwell (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 Norwell mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name referring to a northern or northerly settlement or dwelling. 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 Norwell (0.04 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 common is the surname Norwell?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Norwell at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.