The Sewell surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 22,294 people carried this name — #1,614 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 13,200 people counted. That is up 8% from 20,736 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Sewell surname

As a surname in the United Kingdom

Harrison classes it as a Teutonic name: ‘Sea-Power’.

Or “Victorious Power”, from Old Teutonic Sigwald. An early record he cites: Thomas Sewald, Hundred Rolls, A.D. 1274.

From Henry Harrison, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary, vol. II (London: The Morland Press, 1918), p. 149 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 6 births for the Sewell name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.

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

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 3
Munster 2
Leinster 1

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

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Sewell was found among the farmers of 4 counties.

It was most frequent in Cumberland and Westmorland: 15 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 667. 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

Cumberland and Westmorland 15
Essex 15
Norfolk 12
Suffolk 10

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 Scotland’s registers today

Sewell was recorded 10 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1929th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Sewell in American newspapers,
1896–1920.

Newspaper page from The Salt Lake Herald carrying the name Sewell
The Salt Lake Herald 1907-06-30
Newspaper page from Las Vegas Daily Optic carrying the name Sewell
Las Vegas Daily Optic 1896-07-11
Newspaper page from The Laramie Republican carrying the name Sewell
The Laramie Republican 1920-10-13

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 153,585 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Sewell in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

38,587 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Sewell. The most, 6,034, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Western Australia, at 3.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Western Australia 10,364
New South Wales 8,987
Victoria 8,014
Queensland 5,922
South Australia 4,363
Tasmania 606
ACT (Canberra) 202
Northern Territory 34

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

Who carried it

People named Sewell,
with a public archive behind them.

  • William Sewell d. 1893 · cleric
  • Sophia Sewell d. 1897
  • Isabella Sewell d. 1836
  • Mary Sewell d. 1929
  • Anne Sewell d. 1862
  • Susanna Sewell d. 1886

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

In the public record

People named Sewell,
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 States1,627 records

1,627 records of the Sewell name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 806
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 330
  • Other U.S. records 491
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record John Francis Sewell

    Born 1930; from Severn, Maryland. U.S. Marine Corps, m60a1 tank crewman; killed in action 1966 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam. Buried at Baltimore National Cemetery, Maryland.

    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 Jay L. Sewell

    Born 1910 in Texas. Enlisted 1942 at Tyler; clerk from Navarro County. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Rose Hill Cemetery, Blooming Grove, Texas.

    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 Charlotte Sewell

    Arrived at New York in 1846 aboard the New York from Liverpool, aged 36; lady. From Great Britain.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,627 records for Sewell 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, 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: 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).

Australia1,168 records

1,168 records of the Sewell name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 592
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 180
  • Other Australian records 396
  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 Sewell

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Maitland, sailing from Norfolk Island in 1844. Native of Rayne, Essex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1852. Married 1852 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 28.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record George William Alexander Sewell

    Died 1909 in Queenstown, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1909.

    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 Pattie Sewell

    Arrived in Victoria in 1913 aboard the Orvieto, aged 29.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,168 records for Sewell 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) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · 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); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada101 records

101 records of the Sewell name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 26
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 25
  • Other Canadian records 50
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Margaret Sewell

    Buried in 1994 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 93.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record George William Sewell

    Buried in 1984 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 66.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record William C. Sewell

    Died 1869 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 101 records for Sewell 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. · 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) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. 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).

United Kingdom56 records

56 records of the Sewell name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 35
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 10
  • Other British records 11
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Sewell

    Buried in 1918 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 57.

    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 Philip Mirehouse Sewell

    Will proved in 1933; of Swansea.

    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. T. Sewell

    King's Royal Rifle 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 56 records for Sewell 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. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). 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 Zealand30 records

30 records of the Sewell name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 16
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 12
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Ann Sewell

    Buried in 1935 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 79.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Christina May Sewell

    Died 2001, aged 88; buried at Memorial Park 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 Leonard Sewell

    Died 1993, aged 61; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 30 records for Sewell in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District 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).

Norway8 records

8 records of the Sewell name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Thorkil Sewell

    Census of 1910: Riddervolds gate, Kristiania; engineer, born 1887 in Christiania.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Mary Sewell

    Census of 1910: Riddervolds gate, Kristiania; born 1892 in Christiania.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Henry Frederich Sewell

    Census of 1910: Storgaten, Fredrikshald; born 1848 in Cirencester England.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Sewell in Norway.

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Sewell.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Sewell 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 Sewell volume
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