Explore the Family Name Towell

The meaning of Towell

English (Devon and East Midlands): 1. variant of Attwell, from late Middle English atte well ‘at the well or spring’, with loss of the first vowel in atte instead of the second. The remaining /tə/ is then understood as to and spelled accordingly. 2. variant of Towle.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Towell in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname 'Towell' has seen a moderate uptick over the years. In 2000, it ranked as the 18,492nd most popular surname and climbed to the 17,883rd spot in 2010, a change of approximately 3.29%. The number of individuals bearing this surname also increased from 1,378 in the year 2000 to 1,564 in the year 2010, representing an increase of 13.5%. The proportion per 100k people also saw a slight change from 0.51 to 0.53, indicating a 3.92% increase.

20002010Change
Rank#18,492#17,8833.29%
Count1,3781,56413.5%
Proportion per 100k0.510.533.92%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Towell

In terms of ethnicity, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the distribution of the 'Towell' surname among different ethnic identities showed some shifts between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the largest group identifying with this surname was White at 93.18%, which decreased slightly to 87.92% in 2010. Conversely, the percentage of Black and Hispanic individuals with this surname saw considerable growth, with an 83.04% and 80.92% change respectively. Although minimal, there were also changes within the Asian/Pacific Islander category, from none recorded in 2000 to 1.02% in 2010, and two or more races from none to 1.92%. The American Indian and Alaskan Native category saw a small decrease from 1.31% to 1.21%.

20002010Change
White93.18%87.92%-5.64%
Black2.83%5.18%83.04%
Hispanic1.52%2.75%80.92%
Two or More Races0%1.92%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native1.31%1.21%-7.63%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%1.02%0%