The Atwell surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,622 people carried this name — #4,116 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 34,200 people counted. That is up 6% from 8,159 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Atwell surname

Originally designating a person who lived near a well.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Atwell» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘at the well’.

An early record he cites: Adam Ate Welle, Oxfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Attwell, Atwell, Attiwell, Attwill and Attewell.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 67 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

37 families named Atwell, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 186 people lived in those households, 5 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 3 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Connecticut 12
Maryland 7
Massachusetts 4
New York 4
New Hampshire 3
Pennsylvania 2
Virginia 2
North Carolina 2
Rhode Island 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 228 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Atwell in American newspapers,
1908–1923.

Newspaper page from The Waxahachie Daily Light carrying the name Atwell
The Waxahachie Daily Light 1908-11-05
Newspaper page from San Antonio Light carrying the name Atwell
San Antonio Light 1923-09-20
Newspaper page from Evening Times-republican carrying the name Atwell
Evening Times-republican 1918-04-03

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 60,498 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Atwell in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

8,790 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Atwell. The most, 1,785, date from the 1930s. Queensland has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Western Australia, at 3.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 2,975
Western Australia 2,402
New South Wales 1,437
South Australia 1,165
Victoria 484
Tasmania 260
ACT (Canberra) 48

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Atwell.

Who carried it

People named Atwell,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Grace Atwell
    Grace Atwell 1872–1952 · actor
  • Roy Atwell
    Roy Atwell 1878–1962 · actor
  • William Atwell d. 1699
  • Hugh Atwell 1597–1621 · actor
  • Mary Atwell 1688–1752
  • Joseph Atwell 1696–

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Atwell,
in the records of 4 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States723 records

723 records of the Atwell name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 261
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 159
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 114
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 63
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 58
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 58
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 6
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Allison H. Atwell

    Born 1915 in Pennsylvania. Enlisted 1942 at Harrisburg; construction worker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, Pennsylvania.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Robert Wagner Atwell

    Born 1947; from Cooperstown, New York. U.S. Army, radio teletype operator; killed in action 1968 in Thua Thien, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Ellen Atwell

    Arrived at New York in 1862 aboard the Harvest Queen from Liverpool, aged 26; servant. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 723 records for Atwell in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia288 records

288 records of the Atwell name in Australia
  • Tasmanian Names Index 144
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 78
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 29
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 21
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 8
  • State Library of Western Australia indexes 7
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record John Atwell

    Died 1891 in Deloraine, Tasmania, aged 77. Will registered in Tasmania in 1891.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Lucy Ellen Adeline Atwell

    Born 1880 in Port Sorell, Tasmania. Married 1899 in Mersey, Tasmania, aged 19.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Emily Atwell

    Arrived in Victoria in 1852 aboard the Persian, aged 25; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 288 records for Atwell in Australia.

Counts: Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada244 records

244 records of the Atwell name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 237
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 3
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 2
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Florence Emma Atwell

    Buried in 1982 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 89.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Stephen Edward Atwell

    Died 1970 in Kentville, Kings, Nova Scotia, aged 59.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Stanley Reginald Atwell

    Died in service in 1947.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 244 records for Atwell in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom9 records

9 records of the Atwell name in the United Kingdom
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 6
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
  • Stirling Council burial records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Alexander Atwell

    Died 1974, aged 50; buried at Drymen Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Edward Atwell

    Buried in 1793 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 75.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record A. Atwell

    Seaforth Highlanders. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 9 records for Atwell in the United Kingdom.

Counts: MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Atwell.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Atwell is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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