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Home › Baby Names Directory › Burwell

Burwell

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Burwell

Pronounced BUR-wel /ˈbɜːr.wɛl/Low

Meaning: Burwell is an English surname taken from a place-name, combining the Old English burh, 'fortified place' or 'fort,' with well or wella, 'spring' or 'stream,' so 'spring by the fort.' Used as a first name, chiefly in the American South, it followed the old custom of turning family surnames into given names, and it keeps its plain landscape meaning.Low

In 30 seconds: Burwell is a rare vintage boy's name, an English surname meaning 'spring by the fort.' It peaked in the late nineteen-teens (said BUR-wel).
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Origin LowEnglish
MeaningBurwell is an English surname taken from a place-name, combining the Old English burh, 'fortified place' or 'fort,' with well or wella, 'spring' or 'stream,' so 'spring by the fort.' Used as a first name, chiefly in the American South, it followed the old custom of turning family surnames into given names, and it keeps its plain landscape meaning.
U.S. rank (1958)#3586 ↗ Rising
1958 U.S. births6 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1918
Total births (all-time)≈ 167

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 191819131958

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Burwell is a surname-and-place-name from the Old English burh, 'fort,' and well, 'spring,' meaning 'spring by the fort.' As a first name it belonged mainly to Southern families honoring a surname, and it has the sturdy, landed sound of early-century names like Elsworth and Caldwell.

Burwell was never common, appearing from the 1910s and reaching only about fourteen boys a year around 1918 before fading by the late 1950s. A man named Burwell then would be past a hundred today, a genuine artifact of the surname-as-first-name South.

Did you know? Burwell is also the name of villages in England, where a burh, 'fort,' once stood beside a well or spring that gave the place, and later the family, its name.
Overall data confidence 40%
References - Burwell — English surname/place-name < Old English burh 'fort' + well 'spring'; Southern first-name use; peaked 1918.

Variations

BurrellBurwllBurnellBardwell

Nicknames

BurrWell

Famous Bearers

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If you like Burwell…

Burrell— a close surname-name cousin
Caldwell— a like -well English surname-name
Burdell— lands in the same popularity range
Bernell— another vintage pick
Burnell— a similarly popular pick

Explore names like Burwell

By themeenglishvintageplace-namesurname

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Burwell mean?

It is an English surname and place-name, from Old English burh, 'fort,' and well, 'spring,' hence 'spring by the fort.'

How do you pronounce Burwell?

It is said BUR-wel /ˈbɜːr.wɛl/ - two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Burwell a boy or girl name?

Burwell is used as a boy's name.

How popular is Burwell?

It was always rare, given to only about fourteen boys a year at its peak in the late nineteen-teens.

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