Maxwell Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Maxwell last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Maxwell coat of arms for you.
Meaning and origin of the Maxwell last name
Meaning of the Maxwell last name: from Maxwell, "Maccus's pool". Maxwell comes from a place on the River Tweed in the Scottish Borders, named after a salmon pool belonging to a man called Maccus. The family who took the name became powerful in Dumfriesshire and Galloway, with the moated Caerlaverock Castle as their home. A curious detail: the physicist James Clerk Maxwell, whose equations describe light and electricity, came from a branch that took the name with an estate.
Arms associated with the Maxwell name
Scottish clansmen traditionally wear a badge drawn from their leader's arms, and Maxwell families have long had their own clan emblems.
Get your full Maxwell family history
This is only a glimpse of the Maxwell story. The full Maxwell history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Maxwell coat of arms. Get the full Maxwell report.
Maxwell name FAQ
What does the Maxwell name mean?
From Maxwell, "Maccus's pool". Common variants include Maxwel, Maxwill, McSwell.
Where does the Maxwell surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in the United States, Northern Ireland and Canada.
Is there a Maxwell coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Maxwell coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); US Census Bureau 2010.