HOWELL
The surname Howell is of Welsh provenance and belongs to the class of patronymic surnames that originated from a personal forename. It derives from the Old Welsh male given name Hywel, which signifies “eminent” or “prominent”. In the early medieval period the name was borne by notable Welsh princes, most famously Hywel Dda (Hywel the Good), the law‑giver of Wales in the mid‑10th century, and by Huwal, King of the West Welsh, recorded in the Anglo‑Saxon Chronicles for the year 926.
As a patronymic surname, Howell originally indicated descent from an ancestor called Hywel. By the 12th and 13th centuries the name appears in a variety of documentary sources throughout the British Isles. Examples include William Hoel of Wiltshire (1183), John Howel of Cambridgeshire (1313) and Hyllar Howell of Somerset (1327). The Rolls of Glamorgan record a Hoelus de Charlion in 1184, and the Shropshire Assizes of 1221 mention a Howell filius Ade Walensis.
A secondary, and less common, source of the surname is locational, relating to a parish named Howell in south Lincolnshire. The place‑name is first recorded as “Huuelle” in the Domesday Book of 1086 and later as “Huwell(e)” in the Pipe Rolls of 1190. This English toponym is thought to stem from the pre‑7th‑century personal byname Huna (derived from “hun”, a bear cub) combined with the element well(a) meaning a spring or stream. Early bearers of the name from this origin include Walter de Huwella (Lincoln, 1165) and Alfredus de Howella (Lincoln, 1177).
The earliest known spelling of the family name is recorded as Geffrei Hoel, circa 1100, in the Old English Byname Register of Devonshire during the reign of King Henry I. In the 17th century Thomas Howell served as chaplain to Charles I in 1640, illustrating the surname’s continued presence in the English aristocratic and clerical milieu. Over subsequent centuries the name spread beyond Wales and England, becoming relatively common throughout the English‑speaking world through migration.
Typical given names associated with the Howell surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Patricia
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Howell in...
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There are approximately 23,134 people named Howell in the UK. That makes it the 366th most common surname in Britain. Around 355 in a million people in Britain are named Howell.
Surname type: From given name or forename
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Wales
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Welsh
Famous people named Howell
- Ella Mai Howell - Singer
- Daniel Howell - Video blogger and radio personality
- Anthony Howell - Actor
- Colin Howell - Murderer
- John Howell - Politician
- Gerran Howell - Actor
- C. Thomas Howell - American actor and film director
- David Howell - Chess player
- David Howell, Baron Howell of Guildford - Politician
- Peter Howell - Actor (1919 to 2015)
- David Howell - Golfer
- Margaret Howell - Fashion designer
- Benny Howell - Cricketer
- Dean Howell - Football player
- Luke Howell - Football player
- Jamie Howell - Football player
- Georgina Howell - Journalist (1942 to 2016)
- Gwynne Howell - Welsh Opera singer
- Laura Howell - Artist
- Rab Howell - Football player (1869 to 1937)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.