Howell
/ˈhaʊ.əl/noun
A Welsh-derived English surname and given name, traditionally representing the Welsh name Hywel.
Did you know?Howell is associated with Hywel Dda, the tenth-century Welsh king remembered for codifying Welsh law at Whitland around 945.
Etymological Timeline
Early Medieval Period
Brythonic Welsh
Hywel
“An early Welsh personal name; its deeper original meaning is uncertain.”
10th Century
Old Welsh
Hywel Dda
“The name of the Welsh king traditionally called Hywel the Good.”
12th Century
Middle Welsh
Howel
“A variant spelling of the Welsh personal name Hywel.”
13th–14th Century
Anglo-Norman Welsh
Hoel
“A recorded medieval form of the name in Latin and French-influenced records.”
16th–17th Century
English
Howell
“An English spelling used for Welsh bearers of the name and, increasingly, as a hereditary surname.”
Modern English
English
Howell
“A surname and given name pronounced generally as “HOW-uhl.””