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Newell
How to Pronounce Newell
Pronounced NEW-uhl /ΛnuΛ.Ιl/High
Meaning: Newell began as an English surname, traced either to Old English niwe + halh, 'new nook or hollow,' or to the Norman place name Neuville, 'new town.' Families later moved it to the front as a given name, so a boy called Newell carried a place, not a wish.Medium
Popularity in the U.S. Β· SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880βpresent). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Newell entered American nurseries in the surname-as-first-name wave of the late nineteenth century, when families revived old English place-names as boys' names. Its roots reach back to either niwe halh, 'the new hollow,' or Norman Neuville, 'new town'; both point to a settlement rather than a personal trait.
The name crested around 1916 and drifted downward through the twentieth century, so a Newell born at its height would now be well over a hundred. It never rode the modern surname-name revival, and today it reads as a distinctly turn-of-the-century relic rather than a name on its way back.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Newell mean?
Newell comes from an English surname meaning 'new hall' or 'new hollow,' from Old English or Norman roots.
How do you pronounce Newell?
It's said NEW-uhl /ΛnuΛ.Ιl/ β two syllables, stress on the first.
Is Newell a boy or girl name?
Newell is used as a boy's name.
How popular is Newell?
Newell was an early-twentieth-century choice that had faded by mid-century and has stayed quiet since.