Elwell
A surname most likely from a place-name, probably meaning someone from or near a “well” place, though the exact source is not certain.
The #6,391 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 57,969 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally treated as locational, arising from a place-name rather than from a personal description. The second element is clearly English well, meaning a spring or water source; the first element is less certain and may come from an older local place-name, possibly with a personal-name link in some older references. Nineteenth-century surname dictionaries connect Elwell with several English place-name patterns, but they do not give a single fully secure explanation.
History
Elwell appears in English records as a family name and was later carried to North America with English migration. Older surname scholars sometimes compared it with other English names built on place names ending in -well, but they also showed uncertainty about the exact locality behind it. The name is not among the most common English surnames today, though it remains established in the US and Britain.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
English surname dictionaries often grouped Elwell with other water-based place-names like Chadwell, Caswell, and Horswell, all showing how common “well” names were in medieval England.
From the historical record
“Elvius ; p.n. Elwell. A loc. n., Dorset Elwyn. See Elvin Ely. N.-Fr. Fitz Elie ; a p.n. 1 Also a loc. n., Camb. Embleton. A loc. n., Cumb., Dur., ;”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)