Wells (name)
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Wells is an English surname of Norman origin, but is possibly a Welsh surname, from an old English word for Wales. It normally derives from occupation, location, and topography. The occupational name (i.e. "Wellman") derives from the person responsible for a village's spring. The locational name (i.e. "Well") derives from the pre-7th century "wælla" ("spring"). The topographical name (i.e. "Attewell") derives from living near a spring. The oldest public record is found in 1177 in the county of Norfolk. Variations of Wells include Well, Welman, Welles, Wellman and Wellsman.[1] At the time of the British Census of 1881,[2] its relative frequency was highest in Berkshire (3.2 times the British average), followed by Leicestershire, Oxfordshire, Kinross-shire, Huntingdonshire, Kent, Sussex, Lincolnshire, Dumfriesshire and Bedfordshire.
Pronunciation | /wɛlz/ |
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Origin | |
Word/name | Old English |
Meaning | Of Neptune, spring |
Region of origin | Roman Britain |
Other names | |
Variant form(s) | Well, Welman, Welles, Wellman and Wellsman |