The Newell surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 32,909 people carried this name — #1,064 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 8,960 people counted. That is up 5% from 31,317 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Newell surname

As an English and Welsh surname

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

An early record he cites: Hugo de Neuhalle, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Newall, Newell and Newhall.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 554 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 34 births for the Newell name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,500 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 3 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Down and Antrim.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 27
Connacht 4
Leinster 2
Munster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In the Nordic population registers

20 people named Newell is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 20

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In the first U.S. census, 1790

184 families named Newell, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,088 people lived in those households, 5.9 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 6 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 61
Connecticut 34
Pennsylvania 21
Vermont 16
North Carolina 14
New York 9
Virginia 8
Rhode Island 7
Maine 5
New Hampshire 5
Maryland 3
South Carolina 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. 255 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Newell in American newspapers,
1913–1930.

Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Newell
Evening Star 1930-07-27
Newspaper page from Newell Reclamation News carrying the name Newell
Newell Reclamation News 1917-07-26
Newspaper page from The Birmingham Age-herald carrying the name Newell
The Birmingham Age-herald 1913-10-26

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 365,112 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Newell in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

45,291 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Newell. The most, 10,057, date from the 1930s. New South Wales 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 the Northern Territory, at 3.0 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 18,967
Queensland 11,081
Victoria 7,245
South Australia 4,187
Tasmania 2,075
Western Australia 1,295
Northern Territory 192
ACT (Canberra) 185

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

Who carried it

People named Newell,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Edward John Newell
    Edward John Newell 1771–1798 · informant
  • William E. Newell d. 1976 · engineer
  • Constance Mary Newell d. 1954
  • Elizabeth Newell d. 1903
  • Ruth Agnes Newell d. 1990
  • Robert Newell 1576–1642

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 Newell,
in the records of 8 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 States3,359 records

3,359 records of the Newell name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,123
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 719
  • Other U.S. records 1,517
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Winfield H. Newell

    Born 1918 in Maine. Enlisted 1941 at Gardiner; farm hand. U.S. Army veteran of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War; died 1997, buried at Maine Veterans' Memorial Cemetery, Maine.

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

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Majestic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 23; servant. From Cork, Ireland; bound for New Jersey.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Calvin Eugene Newell

    Born 1948; from Plain City, Ohio. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1967 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 3,359 records for Newell 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, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (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); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia1,088 records

1,088 records of the Newell name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 459
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 191
  • Other Australian records 438
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record John Joseph Newell

    Married 1892 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 27. Died 1932 in Tasmania, aged 67. Will registered in Tasmania in 1932.

    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 Rebecca Osborne Newell

    Born 1886 in Hobart, Tasmania. Married 1905 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 19.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. 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 James Newell

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Sir William Bensley, arriving 1817; ticket of leave 1825. Native of Ely.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 1,088 records for Newell in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU) · 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); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada1,000 records

1,000 records of the Newell name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 900
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 37
  • Other Canadian records 63
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Arthur Webster Newell

    Lost in the sinking of the Titanic, 1912, aged 60; a first-class passenger. Body recovered.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Geo Newell

    Came to Ontario in 1875 aboard the Dominion, landing at Quebec, bound for Seaforth, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Delores Newell

    Buried in 1984 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 79.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.

Showing 3 of 1,000 records for Newell 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 Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · 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) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · 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); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom57 records

57 records of the Newell name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 41
  • Stirling Council burial records 7
  • Other British records 9
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Newell

    Buried in 1961 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 55.

    Stirling Council. 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 Richard Newell

    Will proved in 1915; of Colwyn Bay, Carnarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ann Newell

    Buried in 1832 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 23.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 57 records for Newell in the United Kingdom.

Counts: 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. · 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).

New Zealand33 records

33 records of the Newell name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 28
  • Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 4
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Martha Newell

    Died 1909, aged 63; buried at Linwood 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 Frances David Newell

    Born 1922, died 1994; buried at Oxford Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record C. Newell

    New Zealand 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 33 records for Newell in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Ireland22 records

22 records of the Newell name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Carrlie Newell

    Died 1916, aged 72; buried at Killursa, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Newell

    Died 1905; buried at Kilcummin, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sally Newell

    Died 1924; buried at Dunmore, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 22 records for Newell in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County 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).

Netherlands5 records

5 records of the Newell name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 3
  • Dutch population registers 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record William Newell

    Married in 1820 in Amsterdam; manufacturer.

    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 Mary Kathleen Newell

    Married in 1920 in Utrecht.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 5 records for Newell in the Netherlands.

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

France2 records

2 records of the Newell 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 Eric Newell

    Born 1940 in Great Britain; died 2000 in Vidauban (Var).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record John Everett Newell

    Born 1923 in Great Britain; died 2000 in Chambéry (Savoie).

    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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Newell.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Newell 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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