The Jewell surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 23,187 people carried this name — #1,550 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 12,700 people counted. About the same as in 2000 (23,143).

See Jewell on the map Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the Jewell surname

A surname originating as a patronymic.

Medieval/Middle English form of a Breton saint's name, from Old Breton Judicaël "lord" + "generous." The second element is from hael (“generous, bountiful”) and identical to Welsh hael (“generous”) (see that entry for details).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Jewell» (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 baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Joel’.

An early record he cites: Jordan fil. Juel, 1296–97 (25 Edward I) — Calendarium Genealogicum, Henry III–Edward I. Fil. is Latin for “son of”.

His entry covers Jewell and Jewelson.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 431 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Jewell was found among the farmers of 3 counties.

It was most frequent in Cornwall: 24 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 417. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Cornwall 24
Devon 13
Surrey 12

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

92 families named Jewell, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 567 people lived in those households, 6.2 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 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

New York 22
New Hampshire 20
Massachusetts 11
Maine 10
Maryland 9
Pennsylvania 5
North Carolina 5
Connecticut 4
Vermont 3
South 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. 247 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Jewell in American newspapers,
1896–1903.

Newspaper page from Iowa County Democrat carrying the name Jewell
Iowa County Democrat 1898-08-25
Newspaper page from Mineral Point Tribune carrying the name Jewell
Mineral Point Tribune 1896-09-24
Newspaper page from Mineral Point Tribune carrying the name Jewell
Mineral Point Tribune 1903-08-27

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 287,285 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Jewell in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

31,984 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Jewell. The most, 6,525, date from the 1910s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 11,828
New South Wales 8,396
South Australia 4,520
Queensland 3,830
Western Australia 2,421
Tasmania 528
ACT (Canberra) 72
Northern Territory 1

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

Who carried it

People named Jewell,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Harvey Jewell
    Harvey Jewell 1820–1881 · lawyer
  • Marshall Jewell
    Marshall Jewell 1825–1883 · politician
  • David Lyman Jewell
    David Lyman Jewell 1837–1927 · factory owner
  • Evelyn Carlota Jewell d. 1961
  • William Dey Jewell 1765–1839
  • Henry C. Jewell 1811–1889 · politician

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 Jewell,
in the records of 7 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 States1,756 records

1,756 records of the Jewell name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 742
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 301
  • Other U.S. records 713
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Richard L. Jewell

    Born 1921 in Oregon. Enlisted 1940 at Portland; filling station attendant from Multnomah County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1987, buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    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 Ronald Dee Jewell

    Born 1948; from Aurora, Illinois. U.S. Marine Corps, administrative man; killed in action 1969 in Quang Nam, 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 Christina Jewell

    Arrived at New York in 1878 aboard the Montana from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 22; servant. From England.

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

Showing 3 of 1,756 records for Jewell 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, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). 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).

Australia881 records

881 records of the Jewell name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 443
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 254
  • Other Australian records 184
  1. 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 Edward Jewell

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Shipley, arriving 1818; ticket of leave 1826. Native of Bristol.

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

    Arrived in Victoria in 1856 aboard the Ocean Monarch, aged 24; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record George Jewell

    Died 1857 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 38.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 881 records for Jewell in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: 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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada183 records

183 records of the Jewell name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 143
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 10
  • Other Canadian records 30
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Charles Jewell

    Killed in 1920 at the Allan Mine, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Hilda Ada Jewell

    Buried in 1974 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 83.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  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 George William Jewell

    Died in service in 1942.

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

Showing 3 of 183 records for Jewell 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. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom28 records

28 records of the Jewell name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 24
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 3
  • Welsh wills index cards 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Jewell

    Buried in 1831 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 47.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record John Jewell

    Will proved in 1935; of Brynhyfryd.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record E. H. Jewell

    Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry. 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 28 records for Jewell in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand13 records

13 records of the Jewell name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ida Allen Jewell

    Died 1921, aged 38; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Beer Jewell

    Died 1899, aged 47; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Grace Jewell

    Died 1916, aged 81; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 13 records for Jewell in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France4 records

4 records of the Jewell 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 Peter Jewell

    Born 1932 in the United Kingdom; died 1993 in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jacqueline Marthe Madeleine Jewell

    Born 1918 in Vacoas (Ile Maurice); died 2000 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record William Jewell

    Born 1928 in Ireland; died 1990 in Mouans-Sartoux (Alpes-Maritimes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Jewell in France.

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).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Jewell name in the Netherlands Dutch church registers before 1811
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Jewell

    Buried in 1794 in Vlissingen.

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Jewell.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Jewell 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.

See the Jewell volume
Scroll to Top