# Nowell (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/nowell/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | French |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 6,112 |
| US rank (2010) | 5,676 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 50,515 people |
| Change since 2000 | +16% (5,281 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Middle English Nowel, from Old French noel (“Christmas”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Nowell in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 77% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 17% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.8% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.6% |
| Two or more races | 2.0% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Nowell in the United States.

## People named Nowell

- Jaylen Nowell, American basketball player (born 1999)
- Bradley Nowell, American musician (1968–1996)
- Markquis Nowell, American basketball player (born 1999)

## Similar surnames

Newell, Noel, Noll, Neill, Nell, Noell, Nolley, Neal, Neely, Neil, Neeley, Nall.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.