Given name & surname
Wells
“from the springs”
Wells is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the springs.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “from the springs.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1881. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Wells through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 7,164
- 6,989 boys · 175 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 958 babies
- 2025
- 958
- #347 for boys · #7,865 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +127%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 944 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 347 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 131.5% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 14 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (85). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,448 as a first name in 2020; 169,750 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Wells’s family of names
In English usage, Wells as a surname has a nickname in Wellsy. Wells has a related form in Welles.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Wells
- Wells CoatesCanadian architect (1895–1958)
- Wells ThompsonAmerican soccer playerborn 1983
- Wells Towerauthorborn 1973
- Wells GoodykoontzAmerican politician (1872-1944)
- Wells RootAmerican film director and screenwriter (1900-1993)
- Wells A. HutchinsAmerican politician (1818-1895)
- Wells SpicerAmerican judge (1831–1887)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Wells, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Wesley
“from the western meadow”
98% boys · 2% girls
Ellis
“Jehovah is my God” · “noble”
73% boys · 27% girls
Weston
“from the western town”
>99% boys
Banks
Banks is a surname.
91% boys · 9% girls
Waylon
“from the roadside land”
99% boys · 1% girls
Winston
“of the joy stone; from the friendly town”
99% boys · 1% girls
Walker
“walker of the forests” · “one who trods the cloth”
97% boys · 3% girls
Benson
“the son of Ben”
>99% boys