Explore the Family Name Rowell
The meaning of Rowell
English: 1. habitational name principally from Rothwell (Yorkshire), but Rothwell in Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire also gave rise to surnames. The placenames derive from Old English roth ‘clearing’ + wella ‘well, spring, stream’. 2. habitational name from Rowell in Chudleigh (Devon), named with Old English rūh ‘rough’ + hyll ‘hill’. The name may have been confused with Roll. 3. perhaps a habitational name from Roel (Gloucestershire) or Rowell (Westmorland). The Gloucestershire placename derives from Old English rā ‘roe, roe buck’ + wella ‘well, spring, stream’ while the Westmorland placename probably derives from Old English rūh ‘rough’ + hol ‘hole, hollow’. 4. perhaps a variant of Roll; see Rolfe.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Rowell in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Rowell experienced a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Rowell was the 2154th most popular surname in the United States, but by 2010 it had fallen to the 2285th spot, indicating a popularity decrease of 6.08%. Nonetheless, the actual count of individuals with this surname did increase by 3.2%, from 15,457 to 15,952 over the same period. However, the proportion of individuals named Rowell per 100,000 people decreased by 5.58%, shifting from 5.73 to 5.41.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,154 | #2,285 | -6.08% |
| Count | 15,457 | 15,952 | 3.2% |
| Proportion per 100k | 5.73 | 5.41 | -5.58% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Rowell
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Rowell also saw shifts between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The majority of Rowells identified as White, although this percentage declined slightly from 82.31% in 2000 to 79.85% in 2010. Over the same decade, the percentage of Rowells identifying as Black increased from 13.90% to 14.99%. Similarly, those identifying as Hispanic rose significantly from 1.29% to 2.01%. There was also an increase in the proportions of Rowells identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and those identifying with two or more races, which grew from 0.40% to 0.46% and 1.35% to 1.93% respectively. The proportion of Rowells identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native remained relatively constant, inching up from 0.75% to 0.76%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 82.31% | 79.85% | -2.99% |
| Black | 13.9% | 14.99% | 7.84% |
| Hispanic | 1.29% | 2.01% | 55.81% |
| Two or More Races | 1.35% | 1.93% | 42.96% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.75% | 0.76% | 1.33% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.4% | 0.46% | 15% |
Rowell ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Rowell is British & Irish, which comprises 60.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (20.2%) and Scandinavian (4.1%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Nigerian, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 60.5% |
| French & German | 20.2% |
| Scandinavian | 4.1% |
| Other | 15.2% |
Possible origins of the surname Rowell
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Rowell have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 88.70% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 88.70% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 88.30% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 88.30% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 88.00% |
What Rowell haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Rowell is I-FGC9550, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-FGC9550 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include I-M253 and I-Y5695, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Kingsley, Legrand, Hamilton, Harper, Harris, Lear, Pope, Smith, Childs, Kern.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Rowell surname are: H1, H3, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170
Your paternal lineage may be linked to Alexander Hamilton
Early in the morning on July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr (then Vice President of the United States) and Alexander Hamilton (founder of the U.S. Treasury) dueled on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. This marked the culmination of a bitter personal and political rivalry between the two men. Alexander Hamilton died as a result of the duel, but his intellectual legacy survives in the founding documents of the nation he helped build. A piece of his genetic legacy survives as well: in the 21st century, genealogists documented the paternal haplogroups of dozens of Hamilton's living descendants and concluded that the Founding Father's paternal haplogroup was a branch of I-DF29.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to the nomadic Tuareg of the Sahara
Though haplogroup H1 rarely reaches high frequencies beyond western Europe, over 60% of eastern Tuareg in Libya belong to haplogroup H1. The Tuareg call themselves the Imazghan, meaning “free people.” They are an isolated, semi-nomadic people who inhabit the West-Central Sahara and are known today for a distinctive dark blue turban worn by the men, and for their long history as gatekeepers of the desert.How did women carrying H1 make it all the way from western Europe to this isolated community? They likely migrated from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco after the Last Ice Age, where they were assimilated into the Berbers of the Mediterranean coast. Then, about 5,000 years ago, the Sahara shifted from a period of relative habitable conditions to its dramatically arid desert environment. This shift may have caused migrations throughout the Sahara, prompting the ancient Tuaregs to meet and mingle with the Berbers, bringing H1 lineages into their population.
What do people with the surname Rowell have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Rowell" Surname 37.6%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Rowell" Surname 27.8%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Rowell" Surname 26.9%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Rowell" Surname 14.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Rowell?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Rowell are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition