WELLS
Wells is an English surname of considerable antiquity, arising principally within the British Isles and recorded from the late twelfth century. Its linguistic provenance lies in the Old English term waella, denoting a spring or holy well, a meaning that has persisted throughout the surname’s development.
The name exhibits three principal categories of derivation. As a topographic appellation it identified individuals who dwelt beside a natural water source, for example the early record of Roger Attewell of Sussex in the year 1200. As a locational surname it referred to persons originating from settlements named Well or Wells, of which several existed in England, notably Well near Bedale in North Yorkshire, and the towns of Wells in Norfolk and Somerset. The Norfolk settlement “Wells next the sea” appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 under the form “Guelle”. Finally, in its occupational sense the suffix “‑man” produced variants such as Welman, Wellman and Wellsman, indicating a person responsible for the upkeep of a village spring.
Historical documentation demonstrates the surname’s early diffusion. The earliest extant spelling, Toke de Wells, occurs in the Norfolk pipe rolls of 1177 during the reign of King Henry II. Subsequent church registers record a Robert Wells christened on 7 January 1557 at Christchurch Greyfriars, London, and a Richard Wellman entered at St George’s Chapel, Hanover Square, Westminster, on 1 March 1730. The surname also features in early colonial migration; Ann Wells, aged fifteen, embarked from London aboard the “Planter” in 1635 bound for the Virginia Colony.
Variant spellings, including Well, Welman, and the modern form Attwell, all derive from the same pre‑7th‑century root. Their persistence into contemporary usage reflects the enduring association of the surname with water, both as a natural element and as a focal point of community life in medieval England.
Typical given names associated with the Wells surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Rebecca
- Sally
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Atwell
- Well
- Walls
- Wals
- Wales
- Weal
- Wall
- Wallis
- Wallas
- Walis
- Walz
- Walus
- Walas
- Wealls
- Weals
- Weall
- Wails
- Waell
- Weel
- Wella
- Weell
- Weells
- Weels
- Wehl
- Weighll
- Weil
- Wele
- Weles
- Welis
- Welle
- Welles
- Wellis
- Wellls
- Wellsh
- Welly
- Wels
- Welss
- Welz
- Whails
- Wheals
- Wheeles
- Wheels
- Whell
- Whells
- Whills
- Will
- Willes
- Wills
- Wils
- Welch
- Welds
- Welley
- Wellie
- Wellms
- Wellow
- Wellrs
- Welms
- Welsch
- Welsh
- Welts
- Whales
- Whall
- Wheal
- Wheelis
- Whill
- Wiehl
- Wille
- Wale
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Wells in...
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Wells are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Digestive.
There are approximately 43,437 people named Wells in the UK. That makes it the 166th most common surname in Britain. Around 667 in a million people in Britain are named Wells.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Wells
- H. G. Wells - Writer (1866 to 1946)
- Dolly Wells - Actress
- Allan Wells - Sprinter
- John Wells - Actor, writer and satirist (1936 to 1998)
- Dawn Wells - Actress
- Nahki Wells - Bermudian football player
- Orlando Wells - Actor
- John C. Wells - Phonetician and Esperanto teacher
- Bombardier Billy Wells - Boxer (1887 to 1967)
- Stuart Wells - Actor
- G. P. Wells - Zoologist (1901 to 1985)
- Stanley Wells - Shakespearean scholar
- Jim Wells - Northern Irish politician
- David Wells - Scottish medium
- Sam Wells - Anglican clergy
- Colin Wells - Actor
- Daniel Wells - Welsh snooker player
- Annie Wells - Politician
- Steven Wells - Journalist (1960 to 2009)
- Joseph Wells - Cricketer (1828 to 1910)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.