Wells
An English surname given to someone who lived beside a spring or well, from Old English wiella. Its use as a first name follows the surname.
Wells in 2025
Wells was given to 958 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 677th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 3,461 babies born.
The history of Wells
Wells reached its highest point in 2025, when 958 babies were given the name, ranking 677th that year.
Across the 145 years of records since 1881, 7,164 babies have been named Wells. Half of them were born before 2021, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation Alpha.
Wells by decade
| Decade | Babies named Wells | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 16 | 1,824 |
| 1890s | 5 | 2,788 |
| 1900s | 6 | 2,949 |
| 1910s | 172 | 2,178 |
| 1920s | 193 | 2,388 |
| 1930s | 119 | 3,704 |
| 1940s | 110 | 4,264 |
| 1950s | 90 | 4,768 |
| 1960s | 68 | 6,302 |
| 1970s | 87 | 6,712 |
| 1980s | 71 | 9,503 |
| 1990s | 108 | 9,077 |
| 2000s | 166 | 9,437 |
| 2010s | 1,557 | 1,248 |
| 2020s | 4,396 | 677 |
Where Wells is heading
Wells has grown more than 10.0 times over the past decade, from 96 babies in 2015 to 958 in 2025.
Names like Wells
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Wells.