Pronunciation | English:
/ˈhaʊəl/ Welsh: [ˈhəu̯.ɛl] |
---|---|
Language(s) | Welsh |
Origin | |
Word/name | Celtic, Old Welsh |
Meaning | "Eminent", "prominent" |
Region of origin | Wales, Great Britain |
Motto | Virtus in arduo ( Latin for 'Valour in difficulty') |
Other names | |
Variant form(s) | Hoel, Howells, Howel, Howle Hugh, Hywel |
Frequency comparisons: [1] |
Howell ( /ˈhaʊəl/, Welsh pronunciation: [ˈhəu̯.ɛl]) is a surname and given name originating from Wales. As a surname, it is not particularly common among those of Welsh ancestry, as it is an anglicized form of the Welsh name Hywel. It originates in a dynasty of kings in Wales and Brittany in the 9th and 10th centuries, most notably king Hywel Dda ("Howel the Good") and three Welsh royal houses of that time onwards. The royal House of Tudor was also descended from them. Today, nearly 200,000 people bear this surname.
The name Howell originates from the Welsh masculine given name, Hywel, meaning "eminent" or "prominent", derived from the Old Welsh given name, Higuel. [2] Literally meaning, hy- (“good”) + gwêl (“sight”), "well-seen".
The first known recording of the name comes in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, referring to a Brittonic king known as Huwal of the West Welsh in 926 AD. [3] Many scholars believe this to be referring to the 10th-century law giving Welsh king, Hywel Dda, [4] [5] [6] to which many Howells claim their descent from. [7] He is the most famous historical bearer of the name, and was recorded with the title King of the Britons by 950 AD.
Howell as a surname is derived from the name of an ancestor, meaning the "son of Hoel" (and variants). Its original Welsh form would use the prefix ap, for example: Owain ap Hywel ("Owain son of Hywel"). [8] The Latin motto for the Howell family name is Virtus in arduo ("valour in difficulty"). [9] Howell (and its variant forms) as a given name has been popular in honour of Hywel Dda since the Middle Ages. [10]
In Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th century pseudohistorical Historia regum Britanniae, there is mention of a late 5th and early 6th-century Brittonic king known as Hywel the Great, said to be born in around 500 AD. This is the earliest claimed account of the name, although Hywel the Great is generally considered as legendary, he appears in Welsh mythology and the Matter of Britain as a " king of Brittany". He is considered a Welsh saint and was said to have been a relative of the legendary King Arthur. [11] [12]
After the English Conquest of Wales in the 13th century, followed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 in the 16th century, Wales was incorporated into the Kingdom of England. This resulted in the migration of Howells into Western England from Wales, particularly in counties along the Anglo-Welsh border. [7] Many settlers anglicized their surnames from their original Welsh forms, such as "Hywel" to instead "Howell". [13] In the Eastern English counties, the name was brought by Breton settlers after the Norman Conquest. The Breton forms of the name were Houuel, Huwel, Huwal, and Howael. [14] There is also a claim for the surname having separate English origins, from the place-name Howell found in Lincolnshire and derived from the Old English, hugol meaning “mound” or “hillock.” [7]
As a result of English colonialism and subsequently, the British Empire, descendants of the Howell family name can be found across the world. Today, It is most prevalently found in the core Anglosphere countries, such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. [15] However, during the period of slavery in the British colonies, many slaves were known by the surname of their masters, or adopted those surnames upon their emancipation. Some descendants of these formerly enslaved peoples, continue to bear these surnames today, particularly in countries in the West Indies. [16]
As of 2014, over 74.0% of all known bearers of the surname Howell were residents of the United States, 12.3% are in the British Isles (10.4% in England, 1.3% in Wales, 0.2% in Scotland, 0.2% in Ireland, 0.2% in Northern Ireland) 4.6% in Australia, 3.0% in Canada, 1.7% in Jamaica, 0.8% in South Africa and 0.7% in New Zealand. [15]
Country | 1880-81 | % of Howells | 2014 | % of Howells | % Pop. Change 1880–2014 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | 22,965 | 64.5% | 144,930 | 74.0% | +531.1% | |
England | 10,134 | 28.5% | 20,399 | 10.4% | +101.3% | |
Wales | 2,373 | 6.7% | 2,461 | 1.3% | +3.7% | |
Australia | no data | no data | 9,137 | 4.6% | not applicable | |
Canada | 5,968 | 3.0% | ||||
Jamaica | 3,344 | 1.7% | ||||
South Africa | 1,669 | 0.8% | ||||
New Zealand | 1,320 | 0.7% | ||||
Other countries | 132 | 0.3% | 6,558 | 3.3% | ||
Total [15] | 35,604 | 100% | 195,786 | 100% | +449.9% (total) |
Notable people with the name include:
Pronunciation | English:
/ˈhaʊəl/ Welsh: [ˈhəu̯.ɛl] |
---|---|
Language(s) | Welsh |
Origin | |
Word/name | Celtic, Old Welsh |
Meaning | "Eminent", "prominent" |
Region of origin | Wales, Great Britain |
Motto | Virtus in arduo ( Latin for 'Valour in difficulty') |
Other names | |
Variant form(s) | Hoel, Howells, Howel, Howle Hugh, Hywel |
Frequency comparisons: [1] |
Howell ( /ˈhaʊəl/, Welsh pronunciation: [ˈhəu̯.ɛl]) is a surname and given name originating from Wales. As a surname, it is not particularly common among those of Welsh ancestry, as it is an anglicized form of the Welsh name Hywel. It originates in a dynasty of kings in Wales and Brittany in the 9th and 10th centuries, most notably king Hywel Dda ("Howel the Good") and three Welsh royal houses of that time onwards. The royal House of Tudor was also descended from them. Today, nearly 200,000 people bear this surname.
The name Howell originates from the Welsh masculine given name, Hywel, meaning "eminent" or "prominent", derived from the Old Welsh given name, Higuel. [2] Literally meaning, hy- (“good”) + gwêl (“sight”), "well-seen".
The first known recording of the name comes in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, referring to a Brittonic king known as Huwal of the West Welsh in 926 AD. [3] Many scholars believe this to be referring to the 10th-century law giving Welsh king, Hywel Dda, [4] [5] [6] to which many Howells claim their descent from. [7] He is the most famous historical bearer of the name, and was recorded with the title King of the Britons by 950 AD.
Howell as a surname is derived from the name of an ancestor, meaning the "son of Hoel" (and variants). Its original Welsh form would use the prefix ap, for example: Owain ap Hywel ("Owain son of Hywel"). [8] The Latin motto for the Howell family name is Virtus in arduo ("valour in difficulty"). [9] Howell (and its variant forms) as a given name has been popular in honour of Hywel Dda since the Middle Ages. [10]
In Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th century pseudohistorical Historia regum Britanniae, there is mention of a late 5th and early 6th-century Brittonic king known as Hywel the Great, said to be born in around 500 AD. This is the earliest claimed account of the name, although Hywel the Great is generally considered as legendary, he appears in Welsh mythology and the Matter of Britain as a " king of Brittany". He is considered a Welsh saint and was said to have been a relative of the legendary King Arthur. [11] [12]
After the English Conquest of Wales in the 13th century, followed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 in the 16th century, Wales was incorporated into the Kingdom of England. This resulted in the migration of Howells into Western England from Wales, particularly in counties along the Anglo-Welsh border. [7] Many settlers anglicized their surnames from their original Welsh forms, such as "Hywel" to instead "Howell". [13] In the Eastern English counties, the name was brought by Breton settlers after the Norman Conquest. The Breton forms of the name were Houuel, Huwel, Huwal, and Howael. [14] There is also a claim for the surname having separate English origins, from the place-name Howell found in Lincolnshire and derived from the Old English, hugol meaning “mound” or “hillock.” [7]
As a result of English colonialism and subsequently, the British Empire, descendants of the Howell family name can be found across the world. Today, It is most prevalently found in the core Anglosphere countries, such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. [15] However, during the period of slavery in the British colonies, many slaves were known by the surname of their masters, or adopted those surnames upon their emancipation. Some descendants of these formerly enslaved peoples, continue to bear these surnames today, particularly in countries in the West Indies. [16]
As of 2014, over 74.0% of all known bearers of the surname Howell were residents of the United States, 12.3% are in the British Isles (10.4% in England, 1.3% in Wales, 0.2% in Scotland, 0.2% in Ireland, 0.2% in Northern Ireland) 4.6% in Australia, 3.0% in Canada, 1.7% in Jamaica, 0.8% in South Africa and 0.7% in New Zealand. [15]
Country | 1880-81 | % of Howells | 2014 | % of Howells | % Pop. Change 1880–2014 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | 22,965 | 64.5% | 144,930 | 74.0% | +531.1% | |
England | 10,134 | 28.5% | 20,399 | 10.4% | +101.3% | |
Wales | 2,373 | 6.7% | 2,461 | 1.3% | +3.7% | |
Australia | no data | no data | 9,137 | 4.6% | not applicable | |
Canada | 5,968 | 3.0% | ||||
Jamaica | 3,344 | 1.7% | ||||
South Africa | 1,669 | 0.8% | ||||
New Zealand | 1,320 | 0.7% | ||||
Other countries | 132 | 0.3% | 6,558 | 3.3% | ||
Total [15] | 35,604 | 100% | 195,786 | 100% | +449.9% (total) |
Notable people with the name include: