Show ContentsWells History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Wells Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Wells

What does the name Wells mean?

Wells is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Wells family lived in Lincolnshire, at Wells. In ancient records the name was listed in the Latin form "de Fontibus." 1

"Both Wells in Somerset and Wells in Norfolk occur in charters of the Anglo Saxon period as ‘æt Wyllan - of wylla - and Welles.' The Somerset name refers more specifically to a spring near the cathedral called St. Andrew's Well; but there are 'numerous springs in the neighbourhood.' " 2

"This is an ancient English name which was represented commonly by Welles in the counties of Oxford and Cambridge in the reign of Edward I. It is at present most numerous in the south of England, in Oxfordshire (as of old), Wiltshire, Berkshire, Sussex, and Kent. It has, however, an independent home in Lincolnshire, and extends northwards into Yorkshire and Lancashire." 3

Early Origins of the Wells family

The surname Wells was first found in Lincolnshire where they are conjecturally descended from Gilbert de Ghent who held the village and mill of Well from the Bishop of Bayeaux at the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066. A little later another entry was found for the family at Bitchfield, again in Lincolnshire. "The church was consecrated and endowed by Hugh de Wells, who presided over the diocese from the year 1209 to 1234." 4

Baron Adam de Welles or Welle (d. 1311), was the son of William de Welle and his wife, Isabella de Vesci. "The family took its name from the manor of Well, near Alford in Lindsey, Lincolnshire, in which neighbourhood nearly all its estates lay; but later and more famous members of it adopted the surname Welles, though in earlier times they were more commonly described as Welle. The earliest of the family mentioned in Dugdale flourished under Richard I. William, Adam's father, paid fine in 1279 for his knighthood to be postponed for three years. " 5

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Gilbert de Welles, Norfolk; and William de Welles, Lincolnshire while the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 had only one listing: Johannes del Well. 6

In Scotland, the first records were in the Latin form de Fontibus: "Willelmus de fontibus witnessed a gift by Philip de Mubray to the monks of Dunfermline, c. 1202-14, and Henricua de Fonte was witness to the gift by Philip de Mubray of a toft in Inuerkethin to the church of St. Thomas of Aberbrothoc, p. 1219. " 1

A few years later, we see the first records in English: "Richard de Welles witnessed a grant in favor of the chaplain of St. Peter at Duffus, 1240 (REM., 213), and Walter de Welles is mentioned in an Aberdeen document of 1277 (Friars, 13). Alisaundre de Welles was warden of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem in Scotland, 1296." 1

Early History of the Wells family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wells research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1199, 1201, 1206, 1207, 1317, 1331, 1342, 1352, 1376, 1405, 1406, 1421, 1448, 1450, 1461, 1478, 1486, 1491, 1493, 1498, 1499, 1501, 1522, 1528, 1535, 1598, 1635, 1636, 1637, 1639, 1654, 1655, 1658, 1660, 1684, 1711 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Wells History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wells Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Wells, Welles, Well and others.

Early Notables of the Wells family

John de Welles, 5th Baron Welles (1352-1421), an English soldier and noble. Lionel, Leo or Lyon Welles, sixth Baron Welles (1405?-1461), was an English soldier, born about 1405, the son of Eudo de Welles. "From Adam de Welles, first Baron Welles, descended John de Welles, fifth Baron, summoned to parliament as Baron from 20 Jan. 1376 to 26 Feb. 1421, and distinguished in the French and Scottish wars. " 5 John Welles, 1st Viscount Welles KG (c. 1450-1499), was an English Lancastrian Nobleman who was made a Knight of the Garter; and Lionel de Welles, 6th Baron Welles KG (1406-1461), was an English...
Another 169 words (12 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wells Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wells World Ranking

In the United Kingdom, the name Wells is the 148th most popular surname with an estimated 35,037 people with that name. 7 However, in Australia, the name Wells is ranked the 178th most popular surname with an estimated 17,867 people with that name. 8 And in New Zealand, the name Wells is the 91st popular surname with an estimated 4,183 people with that name. 9 Canada ranks Wells as 318th with 13,983 people. 10 Newfoundland, Canada ranks Wells as 37th with 584 people. 11 The United States ranks Wells as 124th with 181,551 people. 12

Migration of the Wells family to Ireland

Some of the Wells family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wells migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the First Fleet and Second Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

First Fleet
  • Mr. John Wells, (1752 - 1820), aged 36, British settler convicted in London, England in 1788, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Neptune" leaving in 1789 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1790 13
Second Fleet
  • Mr. John Wells, British settler convicted in Warwickshire, England in 1790, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Britannia" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 14
  • Mr. Robert Wells, (1762 - 1845), aged 28, British barber convicted in Middlesex, England in 1790, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Atlantic" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 14
  • Mr. William Wells, British settler convicted in Norfolk, England in 1789, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Admiral Barrington" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 14
Following the First and Second Fleets, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Wells Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
Wells Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Wells migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Wells Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Annie Wells, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
  • Samuel Wells, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Whitby" in 1841
  • James Wells, aged 40, a farmer, who arrived in New Plymouth aboard the ship "Phoebe Dunbar" between 1841 and 1850
  • Helen Wells, aged 24, who arrived in New Plymouth aboard the ship "Phoebe Dunbar" between 1841 and 1850
  • Catherine Wells, aged 4, who arrived in New Plymouth aboard the ship "Phoebe Dunbar" between 1841 and 1850
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wells migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 18
Wells Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Mr. Henrie Wells, (b. 1611), aged 23, British settler travelling from London, UK arriving in St Christopher (St. Kitts) on 5th January 1634 19
  • Mr. Mathew Wells, (b. 1607), aged 28, British settler traveling aboard the ship "William and John" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 20

Wells migration to Canada +

Wells Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Thomas Wells, who settled in Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, in 1769 21
  • James and William Wells, who settled in Port de Grave, Newfoundland, in 1776 21
  • Mr. Dudley Wells U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway, [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 272 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 28, 1783 at Staten Island, New York, USA 22
  • Mr. William Wells U.E. who settled in Kingston, Ontario c. 1784 22
Wells Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Henry J Wells, who landed in Canada in 1830
  • Aldridge Wells, who landed in Canada in 1831
  • Walter H Wells, who landed in Canada in 1835
  • Mr. Jacob Wells, aged 69 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Sisters" departing 22nd April 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 20th June 1847 but he died on board 23

Wells migration to the United States +



Wells Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Nathaniel Wells, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1629 19
  • Lidia Wells, who arrived in New England in 1634 aboard the ship "Hercules" 19
  • Mr. John Wells, who left England and arrived in Maryland in 1634 aboard the ship "Ark and Dove" 24
  • Richard Wells, aged 26, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship " Globe" 25
  • Miss Anne Wells, aged 15, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "planter" 25
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Wells Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Mary Wells, who landed in Virginia in 1703 19
  • Honour Wells, who arrived in Virginia in 1706 19
  • Joseph Wells, who landed in Maryland in 1740 19
  • William Wells, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1772 19
Wells Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Peter Wells, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 19
  • James Wells, settled in Nantucket in 1823
  • Matthew Wells, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1836 19
  • Jacob Wells, who landed in New York, NY in 1844 19
  • Jonathan Wells, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1845 19
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Wells (post 1700) +

  • Herbert George "H.G." Wells (1866-1946), English writer, best known for such science fiction novels as The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man, The First Men in the Moon and The Island of Doctor Moreau
  • Sir Thomas Spencer Wells (1818-1897), English surgeon to Queen Victoria, a medical professor and president of the Royal College of Surgeons 26
  • Bryan Douglas "Bomber" Wells (1930-2008), English cricketer
  • Alan Peter Wells (b. 1961), English cricketer
  • John Wells (1936-1998), English actor, writer and satirist
  • Dame Julia Elizabeth Wells (b. 1935), birth name of English Actress Julie Andrews, the BAFTA, Emmy, Grammy and Academy Award-winning actress, singer, author and cultural icon
  • Robert Wells (1961-2025), also known as Bobby Wells, was a British boxer, won the super heavyweight bronze medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics
  • Lesley Simpson Brooks Wells (1937-2025), United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
  • Melissa Foelsch Wells (1932-2025), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Cape Verde, 1976; Guinea-Bissau, 1976; Mozambique, 1987; Zaire, 1991-92; Estonia, 1998 27
  • ... (Another 285 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Halifax Explosion
  • Mrs. Margaret H  Wells, Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who survived the Halifax Explosion (1917) but later died due to injuries 28
  • Mr. Stanley A Wells (b. 1923), English Boy 1st Class serving for the Royal Navy from Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 29
  • Mr. Ronald D G Wells (b. 1917), English Able Seaman serving for the Royal Navy from Gravesend, Kent, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 30
  • Mr. Philip J Wells (b. 1914), English Corporal serving for the Royal Marine from Boythorpe, Derbyshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 30
  • Mr. Horace W Wells (b. 1917), English Stoker 1st Class serving for the Royal Navy from Wednesbury, Staffordshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 30
  • ... (Another 16 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Suggested Readings for the name Wells +

  • The Ancestor s, Life, Times and Descendants of Ephraim Wells, 1675-1988 by William A. Wells.
  • The Descendants of Governor Thomas Welles of Connecticut, 1590-1658, and His Wife Alice Tomes by Donna Holt Siemiatkoski.
  • A History of the Warman and Related Families by Elroy Wilson Titus.
  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  3. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  4. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  5. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  6. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  7. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  8. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  9. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  10. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  11. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  12. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  13. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
  14. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
  15. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au
  16. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
  17. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
  18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  19. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  20. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's (Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  21. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  22. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  23. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 99)
  24. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  25. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  26. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 Jan. 2019
  27. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  28. Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
  29. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm

Houseofnames.com on Facebook