Origins of the Wells surname

What does the name Wells mean?

The Wells surname is English, and has two particular points of origin. Firstly it is a topographical name, given to those who lived at or near a well. It also can be found less commonly as a geographic name, relating to those who come from the area around Wells, Somerset, or Wells, Norfolk.

Alternative variations of the name Wells

Wells, Wels, Well, Wealls, Walls

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Delve deeper into the Wells family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 493North West 272Isle of Man 11Yorkshire 1918East Midlands 1291West Midlands 1080East 1675London 6464South East 3554South West 439South Wales 206Mid Wales 27West Wales 2North Wales 35Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Wellses lived in london

Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

39,000 Wells Travel & migration records
250,000 Wellses found in all Census records

Interesting facts about Wells

How common is your surname?

125th most common surname in the UK

We have for the Wells surname. The oldest one dates back to .

Who were Wellses most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Wellses.

What are the most common Wells first names?

William

John

Mary

Elizabeth

Our tell us the names of Wells family members
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Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Wellses

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Common female occupations for Wellses in 1921

Dressmaker

1,120

Laundress

831

Domestic Servant

610

General Servant Domestic

599

General Servant

463

Common male occupations for Wellses in 1921

Agricultural Labourer

1,405

General Labourer

965

Carpenter

801

Farm Labourer

778

Bricklayer

646

We found over 420,000 family trees with the Wells surname

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