Wells
Wells was the 347th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 944 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,392 places. More babies were named Wells in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning springs, wells · Old English
Say it WELZ /wɛlz/
- Rank in 2025
- #347 boys, up 199 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 944boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025944 babies
- Total since 1880
- 7,164babies recorded
What does the name Wells mean?
Wells is an English surname for someone who lived by springs or wells, or who came from a place such as Wells in Somerset or in Norfolk. Wiktionary and Harrison (1918) derive it from Old English wella, wylla, "spring, fountain"; Harrison notes both towns appear in Anglo-Saxon charters. As a boy's first name it is a recent American use.
wella (Old English, “spring, well”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Well, Weller.
See also: English names, names that mean water.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Wells', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Henry Harrison, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary, vol. 2 (1918), s.v. 'WELLS', Morland Press (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
Wells popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 175 since 1998, 14 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #347 | 944 |
| 2020 | #546 | 521 |
| 2010 | #3,448 | 32 |
| 2000 | #5,033 | 15 |
| 1990 | #5,799 | 9 |
| 1980 | #7,266 | 5 |
| 1970 | #2,734 | 13 |
| 1960 | #2,864 | 10 |
| 1950 | #2,204 | 13 |
| 1940 | #2,665 | 9 |
| 1930 | #1,886 | 17 |
| 1920 | #1,961 | 18 |
| 1910 | #1,585 | 6 |
| 1900 | #1,298 | 6 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Wells, counting every spelling?
Wells is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #347 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together. Together these spellings went to 986 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wells | 944 | #347 | 3,789 |
| Welles | 42 | #2,985 | 204 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Wells?
944 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Wells (0.26 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Wells born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 9 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Wells.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Wells?
About 6,300 people born in the US named Wells are alive today, with a median age of 5; half are between 2 and 8. That makes Wells a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Wells by state
How common Wells was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Utah (5.3×), North Dakota (4.3×), South Dakota (3.5×), Nebraska (3.3×), New Hampshire (2.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Nevada, New Jersey, California.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Wells: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Wells, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Wells · Sibling names for Wells
Questions about the name Wells
What does Wells mean?
Wells means “springs, wells” (Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Wells?
Wells was the 347th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 944 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,392 places. More babies were named Wells in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Wells a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Wells in the US.
Where is Wells most popular?
In 2021–2025, Wells was most common in Utah (2.33 per 1,000 boys), followed by North Dakota and South Dakota.