Blackwell
A surname originally given to people from places called Blackwell, literally “black spring or stream.”
The #741 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 6,545 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Blackwell is a locational surname from several English place-names called Blackwell. The name is built from Old English elements meaning “black” and “well” or “spring,” so it originally referred to a dark-colored spring, stream, or well. In some cases the place-name may have described dark water, shaded ground, or dark soil around the spring.
History
The surname appears in medieval records from different parts of England, which fits a habitational origin from more than one Blackwell. The historical sources specifically point to places in Derbyshire, Durham, Worcestershire, and Cumberland. Like many English locational surnames, it spread as people moved away from their home village and were identified by its name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Several unrelated English families could independently become Blackwell simply by coming from different villages with the same name.
From the historical record
“other counties. BLACKWELL. Parishes, &c., in cos. Derby, Durham, A\'orcester, and Cumber- laud. BLACKWOOD. Lord D ufterin descends from a Scottish family. Adam B. was one of the privy-council to Mary, Queen of Scots. I find no locality of this name in North Britain, except the Blackwood Hills, CO. Dumfries. BLADE.…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United KingdomNotable people named Blackwell
- Elizabeth Blackwell (1821–1910)
- Lucy Stone (1818–1893)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.