Harwell
An English surname that most likely began as a place-name for someone from Harwell, meaning “the spring or stream by the hill.”
The #4,871 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 42,680 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Harwell is most likely a locational surname from Harwell in Oxfordshire, England. The place-name is generally taken to come from Old English elements meaning “hoar” or “grey” plus “spring” or “stream” and “hill,” though the exact early form is not entirely certain. In surname use, it would originally have identified someone who came from that place.
History
Locational surnames of this type became hereditary in England after the Middle Ages, especially when people moved away from their home village. Harwell is found in English records by the 18th century in the excerpt provided, and the surname later spread to North America. Today it is most common in the United States, though it remains relatively uncommon overall.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Harwell is also the name of a village in Oxfordshire, which is likely the source of the surname.
From the historical record
“1728. Married— John Rind and Edith Harwell : St Michael, Comhill, p. 64. 1789. — Robert Rhind and Mary Atkinson : St Geo. Han. Sq. ii. 17. London, 4, i ; Manchester, 4, o ; Bos-”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)