Meaning and background
The story behind Wells
Wells can be an English topographical surname for people living near springs or streams, or a surname taken from places such as Wells in Somerset or Norfolk. Those places themselves reflect older English words for flowing water. A separate Anglicisation of a French surname is also recorded. Unlike the simple word 'well', the surname has several documented family histories, so a single universal meaning would be too narrow.
- Origin
- English surname from places called Wells or from residence near springs or streams; also independently used as an English translation of French Dupuis. Source
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About Wells
Recorded as a dog’s name
Wells appears in 3 dog licence records in the 2026 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/wɛlz/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/wɛlz/ · primary stress on syllable 1W EH1 L Z
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — extract_year 2026 — Dog licence periods, not unique dogs; NYC only. No owner-level fields retrieved.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.