Wells
Meaning
surname, "dweller by the spring"
The story
Wells is an English surname meaning simply someone who lived by the springs or wells, the fresh water a village gathered around, so at its root it is a name of clear water and gathering places. Its brightest bearer is H.G. Wells, one of the fathers of modern science fiction, who imagined time machines and Martian invasions before the twentieth century had properly begun. That gives the plain old surname a surprising spark of the visionary. Crisp, single-syllable and unfussy, it fits the modern taste for surname first names like Brooks and Banks. Brand new in that role, Wells has climbed fast in the United States and reads as current as it has ever been. Clean, grounded and quietly imaginative, Wells hands a child the image of a wellspring, fresh water and new ideas both rising from the same source.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Wells peaked in the 2020s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
35 people · the #85,084 first name in Brazil · median age 40
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Wells
Most people given the name Wells in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Wells deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Wells truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Wells fits with your family’s names and surname.
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