The Elwell surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,326 people carried this name — #6,391 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 55,200 people counted. That is up 1% from 5,287 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Elwell surname

A habitational surname from Old English.

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

In the first U.S. census, 1790

55 families named Elwell, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 299 people lived in those households, 5.4 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 4 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

Massachusetts 26
Maine 16
New York 7
Connecticut 3
North Carolina 2
Vermont 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. 239 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Elwell in American newspapers,
1920.

Newspaper page from The Evening World carrying the name Elwell
The Evening World 1920-06-16
Newspaper page from The Evening World carrying the name Elwell
The Evening World 1920-06-15
Newspaper page from East St. Louis Daily Journal carrying the name Elwell
East St. Louis Daily Journal 1920-06-21

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Elwell in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1990s.

3,124 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Elwell. The most, 699, date from the 1920s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 2.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 1,618
New South Wales 703
Victoria 379
Tasmania 233
South Australia 90
Western Australia 70
ACT (Canberra) 14
Northern Territory 8

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

Who carried it

People named Elwell,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Hildebrand Elwell d. 1401 · politician
  • Agnes Sykes d. 1954
  • Charles Edward Elwell d. 1946
  • Samuel Elwell 1696–1783
  • Mary Jones 1698–1743
  • Isaac Elwell 1725–1799

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Elwell,
in the records of 6 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 States538 records

538 records of the Elwell name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 206
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 104
  • Other U.S. records 228
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Michael Reid Elwell

    Born 1944; from Gaylord, Minnesota. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Thua Thien, South Vietnam. Buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minnesota.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record George S. Elwell

    Born 1904 in South Dakota. Enlisted 1942 at San Francisco, California; auto mechanic. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1945, buried at Los Angeles National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Louisa Elwell

    Arrived at New York in 1879 aboard the Scythia from Liverpool, aged 26; matron. From England.

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

Showing 3 of 538 records for Elwell 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) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · Ramsey County, Minnesota (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia219 records

219 records of the Elwell name in Australia
  • Tasmanian Names Index 103
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 82
  • Other Australian records 34
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Alfred Charles Elwell

    Died 1919 in Isolaltion Hospital, Wellington Square, Launceston, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1919.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Saul Elwell

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Surry, arriving 1823; ticket of leave 1836. Native of Birmingham.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Margt Elwell

    Arrived in Victoria in 1893 aboard the Orizaba, aged 27.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 219 records for Elwell 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). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada19 records

19 records of the Elwell name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 14
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 3
  • Other Canadian records 2
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record James Elwell

    Died 1912; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record John Lloyd Elwell

    Died 1974 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 51.

    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 Orville Norman Elwell

    Died in service in 1942.

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

Showing 3 of 19 records for Elwell in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. 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 Kingdom6 records

6 records of the Elwell name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record B. Elwell

    Gunner, Royal Field Artillery. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. H. Elwell

    Gunner, Royal Garrison Artillery. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. Elwell

    Army Veterinary Corps. 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 6 records for Elwell in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

France2 records

2 records of the Elwell name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Suzanne Marie Charlotte Elwell

    Born 1891 in Paris; died 1972 in Rueil-Malmaison (Hauts-de-Seine).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jacques Marie Andre Elwell

    Born 1894 in Sèvres (Yvelines); died 1975 in Mérignac (Gironde).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands2 records

2 records of the Elwell name in the Netherlands Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Robert Elwell

    Died 1829 in Den Helder, aged 27.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Joyce Kathleen Elwell

    Married in 1949 in Tilburg.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Elwell.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Elwell 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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