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Southwell Family History

Southwell Name Meaning

English:: from Middle English south ‘south’ + wel(le) ‘well pool spring’ (Old English sūth + wella). The surname may be topographic for someone who lived ‘by the south well’ or ‘south of the well’ or habitational from a place so named such as Southwell (Nottinghamshire) or Southwell on the Isle of Portland (Dorset). in Yorkshire and Lancashire often a hypercorrect form of Soothill a habitational name from Soothill in Dewsbury (Yorkshire) from Old English sōt ‘soot’ + hyll ‘hill’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Southall, Rothwell, Southwood, Bothwell, Southwick, Stowell, Bothell

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Southwell family from?

You can see how Southwell families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Southwell family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Southwell families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 58 Southwell families living in Ontario. This was about 62% of all the recorded Southwell's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Southwell families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Southwell surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Southwell ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer was the top reported job for people in the Canada named Southwell. 41% of Southwell men worked as a Farmer. .

View Census Data for Southwell | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    41%
  • Laborer
    23%
  • Labourer
    14%
  • Farmers Son
    14%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Southwell family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 56,000 census records available for the last name Southwell. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Southwell census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Southwell

Passenger Lists

There are 4,000 immigration records available for the last name Southwell. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Southwell immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 4,000 military records available for the last name Southwell. For the veterans among your Southwell ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Southwell military records

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What is the average Southwell lifespan?

Between 1948 and 2004, in the United States, Southwell life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1948, and highest in 1966. The average life expectancy for Southwell in 1948 was 47, and 72 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Southwell

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