Hollowell
A surname most likely taken from a place name meaning “holy well” or “hallowed well.”
The #6,684 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 61,101 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hollowell is generally treated as a locational surname from a place called Hollowell or Holywell. The old forms behind it are usually explained as Middle English holy and well, meaning “holy spring” or “sacred well,” though some early writers also allowed for related spellings influenced by local pronunciation. In surname use, the name would have identified someone who came from such a place.
History
Early surname scholars noted Hollowell as the name of a parish in the Peterborough area and linked it with other well-names such as Holywell and Halliwell. The spelling has long overlapped with Halliwell, Hallowell, and Hollywell, reflecting local speech and inconsistent early spelling. In the United States, Hollowell also appears as a place-derived surname carried by families of English origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname writers often grouped Hollowell with several similar “well” names, because old spellings could shift easily between holy, hallow, and halli- forms.
From the historical record
“'of Halliwell,' a township in the parish of Dean, co. Lane. ( (a) ' of Hollowell,' a parish h the dioc. of Peterborough. The former of these two places has made Hatli- wcll a familiar surname in South Lancashire. Many small spots styled the Holjrwell must also”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances