2000
#131
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 170,635
First available Census row
Per 100,000 63.25
Common Last name
Wells
An occupational surname referring to someone who lived near, or worked with, a well or spring.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 194,657 Americans carry the last name Wells. That puts it at #152 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 56.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,761 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wells 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 Wells with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
195K
1 in 1,761
Census rank
#152
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
56.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
170K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 169,750 bearers of the surname Wells in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 56.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wells, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wells
The surname Wells is of English origin and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is a topographical name, derived from the Old English word 'wielle', meaning a spring or stream. The name was originally given to someone who lived near a well or natural spring.
In its earliest forms, the name was recorded as 'atte Welle' or 'at Welle' in the 13th century. This suggests that the name originally referred to someone who lived near a specific well or water source. Over time, the 'atte' or 'at' was dropped, and the name became simply Wells.
The surname can be traced back to various parts of England, including Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Kent. It is particularly prevalent in areas with an abundance of natural springs and wells, which were important sources of water for communities in earlier times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wells appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a Robert atte Welle is mentioned in Oxfordshire. The Domesday Book of 1086 also contains references to places with the name 'Welle', such as Wells in Somerset, which may have been the origin of some early bearers of the surname.
Notable individuals with the surname Wells throughout history include:
1. Samuel Wells (1614-1675), an English Congregational minister and one of the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
2. William Charles Wells (1757-1817), an American physician and scientist known for his contributions to the study of dew and the discovery of the Wells-Gye effect.
3. Herbert George Wells (1866-1946), the renowned English writer and pioneer of science fiction, best known for works like "The Time Machine" and "The War of the Worlds".
4. Ida B. Wells (1862-1931), an African American investigative journalist and civil rights activist who played a pivotal role in the anti-lynching movement.
5. Orson Welles (1915-1985), the American actor, director, and writer, famous for his innovative work in film, including masterpieces like "Citizen Kane" and "The Magnificent Ambersons".
The surname Wells has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Wells-next-the-Sea in Norfolk and Wells in Somerset, which was formerly known as Welle or Wells-by-the-Sea.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wells
Among Census respondents with the surname Wells, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Wells 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 Wells surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.0% · 120,508
- Black or African American19.7% · 33,386
- Two or more races4.4% · 7,544
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 5,760
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1,435
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1,117
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wells
Wells 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
#147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 176,230
+5,595 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 59.74
Rank movement Down 16 places
2020
#152
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 169,750
-6,480 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 56.79
Rank movement Down 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131 | 170,635 | 63.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147 | 176,230 | 59.74 | +5,595 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 16 places |
| 2020 | #152 | 169,750 | 56.79 | -6,480 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 5 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 Wells 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 | #147 | #152 | -3.4% |
| Count | 176,230 | 169,750 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 59.74 | 56.79 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wells bearers went from 176,230 to 169,750 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #147 to #152.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Wells
FAQ
Wells surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wells?
Name Census estimates that about 194,657 living Americans carry the surname Wells. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,761 residents.
How common is Wells?
Wells ranks #152 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 56.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 57 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 169,750 people with the surname Wells. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (194,657), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 56.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 56.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 57 of them to have the surname Wells.
Has Wells become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wells went from 176,230 recorded bearers to 169,750. That is a decrease of 6,480 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #147 to #152.
What does the Census say about the background of Wells?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wells, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Wells in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.0% (120,508 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wells appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.0%), Black (19.7%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Wells (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 Wells mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who lived near, or worked with, a well or 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 Wells (56.79 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 Wells?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Wells, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.