The Sells surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,633 people carried this name — #4,110 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 34,100 people counted. That is up 6% from 8,165 in 2000.

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In print

Sells in American newspapers,
1905.

Newspaper page from The Wichita Searchlight carrying the name Sells
The Wichita Searchlight 1905-12-16
Newspaper page from The Wichita Searchlight carrying the name Sells
The Wichita Searchlight 1905-12-23
Newspaper page from The Wichita Searchlight carrying the name Sells
The Wichita Searchlight 1905-12-09

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

In print

Sells in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1990s.

8,243 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Sells. The most, 1,170, date from the 1880s. 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 South Australia, at 2.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 2,690
South Australia 2,102
Victoria 1,335
Queensland 992
Western Australia 824
Tasmania 193
ACT (Canberra) 90
Northern Territory 5

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

Who carried it

People named Sells,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Ephraim Sells
    Ephraim Sells 1834–1898
  • Lewis Sells
    Lewis Sells 1841–1907
  • Peter Sells
    Peter Sells 1845–1904
  • Elijah Watt Sells
    Elijah Watt Sells 1858–1924 · accountant
  • Cato Sells
    Cato Sells 1859–1948 · lawyer
  • Allen Sells 1836–1894

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 Sells,
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 States494 records

494 records of the Sells name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 267
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 128
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 32
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 23
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 18
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 18
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 3
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 2
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Jimmy Dwayne Sells

    Born 1933; from Gold Hill, North Carolina. U.S. Marine Corps, kc-130 aircraft commander; died in an accident 1969 in Thua Thien, South Vietnam. Buried at Salisbury National Cemetery, North Carolina.

    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 Maurice Sells

    Born 1914 in Texas. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia; farmer. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1981, buried at Chattanooga National Cemetery, Tennessee.

    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 Susan Sells

    Arrived at New York in 1873 aboard the Constantine from London, aged 54; servant. From England.

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

Showing 3 of 494 records for Sells in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · 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, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (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).

Australia123 records

123 records of the Sells name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 48
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 37
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 20
  • Tasmanian Names Index 7
  • Canberra cemetery and marriage records 4
  • Ballarat Avenue of Honour, First World War 3
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 3
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  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 John Sells

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Hindostan, arriving 1821; ticket of leave 1828.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record George S. Sells

    Enlisted in 1915 with the 6th Battalion. Honoured on the Ballarat Avenue of Honour.

    City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Sells

    Arrived in Queensland in 1849 aboard the Chaseley, aged 42.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 123 records for Sells 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) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). 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); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada13 records

13 records of the Sells name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 5
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 4
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 2
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 2
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Richard Sells

    Died 1999, aged 66; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Margaret Sells

    Buried in 1985 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 65.

    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 Charles Gilbert Sells

    Died in service in 1917.

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

Showing 3 of 13 records for Sells in Canada.

Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · 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. · 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); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom4 records

4 records of the Sells name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 1
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Sells

    Buried in 1795 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 66.

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

    Bedfordshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    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 H. L. Sells

    Served in the First World War. Named in the roll of honour of New Year 1915.

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Sells in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. 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).

Germany2 records

2 records of the Sells name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Friedrich Sells

    From Elberfeld, Pr. Reported missing in the Bavarian casualty list of 20 June 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Walter Sells

    From Stolp. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 3 July 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Sells name in the Netherlands Dutch church registers before 1811
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Joanna Sells

    Baptised in 1761 in Arnhem.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Sells.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Sells 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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