Old English origin
Source-reportedMeaning: “spring”
From Old English wella, genitive plural of well (“spring”), in reference to a residence near a group of springs. The original use of the genitive case here would've indicated origin. The -s ending of the modern form would be added later on upon reanalysis after the breakdown of the case system (outside of pronouns) that occurred in the development of English.
Sources for this account (2)
- Wiktionary: WellsCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
- Turkish Wiktionary: WellsCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
