Wells Name Origin, Meaning and Family History

Wells Name Meaning: From the Old English "well", meaning stream or spring.

From the Old English \"well\", the name was given to someone who lived near a stream or spring.

Discover how your Wells ancestors earned their living and spread across the country. Find out more about your family history by using the Free Search box.

Surname Distribution

Census frequency by county

Name Concentrations Within England and Wales

Wells Surname Statistics


Top Professions for the Wells family

Profession Census Frequency
Scholar 3,719
Agricultural Labourer 428
General Labourer 313
Domestic Servant 234
Dress Maker 222
Living On Own Means 178
Labourer 157
Living On Her Own Means 136
Laundress 134
General Servant Domestic 133
Farm Labourer 121
Farmer 121
General Servant 116
Gardener 96
Coal Miner 90
Carpenter 85
House Keeper 82
Errand Boy 72
Cook Domestic Servant 67
Clerk 62
General Domestic Servant 61
Tailor 60
Blacksmith 56
Grocer 56
Butcher 53

Wells Surname Variants Ranking

Rank Surname Match Census Frequency
1 Wells 100% 171,754
2 Willis 67% 106,940
3 Wills 80% 78,607
4 Wallis 67% 73,315
5 Walls 80% 27,068
6 Willes 67% 9,795
7 Walles 67% 4,645
8 Wellis 83% 2,620
9 Willies 57% 2,051
10 Wallas 67% 1,603
11 Welles 83% 1,413
12 Woolls 67% 558
13 Willas 67% 375
14 Wallies 57% 223
15 Weels 80% 223
16 Willsea 57% 214
17 Willias 57% 191
18 Woollas 57% 181
19 Wels 80% 155
20 Wallase 57% 131
21 Woollis 57% 121
22 Wollas 67% 107
23 Wollis 67% 101

Did you know?

The surname Wells is the most popular version of all its varients

Search for the Wells family