Bellows
A surname probably from a place-name like Bellhouse or Billows, though early writers also linked it to Bellew.
The #9,080 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 85,739 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Bellows is most likely a reduced or altered form of an older place-based name, especially Bellhouse or Billows, both of which were proposed by 19th-century surname writers. The core sense is therefore probably topographical: someone identified by residence near a bell house, bell tower, or a similarly named locality. Some older authorities also treated it as related to Bellew, but that connection is less certain and may reflect later spelling variation rather than a single clear root.
History
The name appears in English sources as a variant that was already being explained differently by early surname scholars, which suggests the spelling had shifted over time. Charnock and Bardsley both note the Bellhouse/Billows explanation, while other writers pointed readers toward Bellew. In the United States it is best known through families such as that of the Unitarian minister Henry W. Bellows.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some early surname books specifically describe Bellows as an altered form of Bellhouse, showing how a single family name could be reshaped by spelling drift over generations.
From the historical record
“sixth generation descended from her." BELLOWS. See BILLOWS. BELOVLY. SeeLEGG. BERRY. Berry-Pomeroy is the name of a parish co. Devon, and Berry or Berri is the appellation of one of the old provinces of France. But see BURY and BORROW. BICHARD. See HAZARD. BICKERSTAFF. See WAGSTAFF.”
— Ludus Patronymicus; or, the etymology of curious surnamesNotable people named Bellows
- Saul Bellow (1915–2005)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.