As described in historical dictionaries

An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857)

(origin: Local) A town in Nottinghamshire, England. The south well or plain.

Arthur, William (1857) An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. New York: Sheldon, Blakeman. Public Domain.


Patronymica Britannica (1860)

SOUTHWELL. The family are of great antiquity in Nottinghamshire, where they were lords of Southwell, till the reign of Henry VI. They afterwards settled in Norfolk and Suffolk, whence the ancestor of the Viscount Southwell removed to Ireland temp. James I. Peerage.

Lower, Mark A (1860) Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom. London: J.R. Smith. Public Domain.


Surname type: Location or geographical feature

Origin: English

Region of origin: British Isles

Country of origin: England

Religion of origin: Christian

Language of origin: English

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