Ewell

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Ewell

Pronounced YOO-ul /ˈjuː.əl/Medium

Meaning: Ewell began as an English surname taken from the town of Ewell in Surrey, whose name comes from Old English aewell, 'source of a river, spring.' As a given name it was passed down family-surname style, especially in the American South, keeping that 'spring, river-source' sense.Low

In 30 seconds: Ewell is an English surname-name from a place meaning 'river source, spring' (said 'YOO-ul'). It rode the family-surname custom into Southern nurseries and peaked in the nineteen-teens.

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Origin MediumEnglish

MeaningEwell began as an English surname taken from the town of Ewell in Surrey, whose name comes from Old English aewell, 'source of a river, spring.' As a given name it was passed down family-surname style, especially in the American South, keeping that 'spring, river-source' sense.

U.S. rank (1982)#5877 ↘ Falling

1982 U.S. births6 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1919

Total births (all-time)≈ 2,051

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

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

Ewell is drawn from the English town of Ewell in Surrey, whose name descends from Old English aewell, 'source of a river.' Like many such surnames it was handed down as a first name — often the mother's maiden name — a custom strong in the American South. It reached its modest high around 1919 at close to a hundred boys a year.

Ewell faded through the middle of the century and had largely dropped from use by the nineteen-eighties. It reads today as an old Southern family name rather than a fashion pick, distinctive and firmly vintage, and it has not joined the wider surname-name revival.

Did you know? The place name behind Ewell, in Surrey, marks the spot where the River Hogsmill rises — so a boy named Ewell is quite literally carrying the word for the head of a spring.

Overall data confidence 56%

References — Ewell — English place/surname 'river source'; Southern given-name use

Variations

EwelYewell

Nicknames

EweWill

Famous Bearers

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If you like Ewell…

Odell— a like place-and-surname name of the same Southern era

Harmon— a same-generation surname carried as a boy's first name

Arnold— a like vintage boys' name now reading as antique

Emmitt— a warm early-century Southern boys' name in the same style

Explore names like Ewell

By themevintage surname-name river southern antique

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Ewell mean?

Ewell comes from an English place name meaning 'source of a river, spring'; it carries that sense.

How do you pronounce Ewell?

It's said YOO-ul /ˈjuː.əl/ — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Ewell a boy or girl name?

Ewell is used as a boy's name, from an English surname.

How popular is Ewell?

Ewell was an uncommon Southern surname-name that crested in the nineteen-teens and has been rare for decades.