Colwell Family History

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Colwell Name Meaning

English: habitational name from places in Northumberland and Devon named Colwell. The former is named with Old English col ‘(char)coal’ or col ‘cool’ + well(a) ‘spring’, ‘stream’; the latter has as the first element a Celtic river name, Coly, apparently meaning ‘narrow’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Olwell, Cowell, Cromwell, Oswell, Cogswell, Doswell, Cornell

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Colwell Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Colwell name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Colwell. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    52%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    23%

  • Germanic Europe

    8%

  • Norway

    3%

  • France

    3%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Colwell Family Origin

Where is the Colwell family from?

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You can see how Colwell families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Colwell family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Colwell families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 154 Colwell families living in London. This was about 15% of all the recorded Colwell's in the UK. London had the highest population of Colwell families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Colwell surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Colwell

Colwell Family Occupations

What did your Colwell ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, the most common Colwell occupation in the UK was Agricultural Labourer. 5% of Colwell's were Agricultural Labourers. A less common occupation for the Colwell family was Cooper. Agricultural Labourer, Coal Miner and Carpenter were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Colwell.

View Census data for Colwell | Data not to scale

  • Agricultural Labourer

    5%

  • Coal Miner

    4%

  • Carpenter

    4%

  • Cooper

    3%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Colwell ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Colwell Historical Records

What Colwell family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 89,000 census records available for the last name Colwell. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Colwell census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1891 UK census records for Colwell

Passenger List

There are 6,000 immigration records available for the last name Colwell. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Colwell immigration records

Draft Card

There are 13,000 military records available for the last name Colwell. For the veterans among your Colwell ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Colwell military records

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Colwell Life Expectancy

What is the average Colwell lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Colwell life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1957, and highest in 1992. The average life expectancy for Colwell in 1942 was 33, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Colwell

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Colwell ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Famous Colwell Family Ancestors

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