Howell

Etymology and history

Welsh origin

The name Howell originates from the Welsh masculine given name, Hywel, meaning "eminent" or "prominent", derived from the Old Welsh given name, Higuel. 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. Many scholars believe this to be referring to the 10th-century law giving Welsh king, Hywel Dda, to which many Howells claim their descent from. 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"). The Latin motto for the Howell family name is Virtus in arduo (variously translated as "Valour in difficulty", "Strength in difficulty" or "Virtue in difficulty"). Howell (and its variant forms) as a given name has been popular in honour of Hywel Dda since the Middle Ages.

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.

In England

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. Many settlers anglicized their surnames from their original Welsh forms, such as "Hywel" to instead "Howell". 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. 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.”

In the British Empire

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. 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.

Geographical distribution

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.

Notable people with the name include:

Surname

A

Ada Verdun Howell (1902–1981), Australian author and poet

Albert Howell (comedian), Canadian comedian and writer

Albert Howell (cricketer) (1898–1958), English cricketer

Alfred Brazier Howell (1886–1961), American zoologist, primarily a mammalogist

Algie Howell (born 1938), American Democratic politician

Alice Howell (1886–1961), American silent movie actress

Anthony Howell (actor) (born 1971), British TV actor

Anthony Howell (performance artist) (born 1945), British performance artist

Arlene Howell (born 1939), American TV actress

Arthur H. Howell (1872–1940), American zoologist

Avery Howell (born 2006), Canadian basketball player

B

Bailey Howell (born 1937), American basketball player

Benny Howell (born 1988), English cricketer

Benjamin Franklin Howell (1844–1933), American Republican politician

Benjamin Hunting Howell (1875–unknown), American rower

Beryl A. Howell (born 1956), American judge

Bill Howell (American football) (1905–1981), American football player

Bill Howell (cricketer) (1869–1940), Australian cricketer

Blue Howell (1905–1964), American football player

Brett Harland Howell, British musician

Buddy Howell (born 1996), American football player

C

C. Thomas Howell (born 1966), American actor

Carla Howell (born 1955), American Libertarian politician

Cashius Howell (born 2003), American football player

Cedric Howell (1896–1919), Australian fighter pilot

Charles Howell (British politician) (1905–1974), British Labour politician and member of Parliament

Charles Howell III (born 1979), American golfer

Charles Andrew Howell III (1930–2011), American businessman

Charles Augustus Howell (1840–1890), British-Portuguese art dealer

Charles Henry Howell (c. 1824 – 1905), British architect

Charles R. Howell (1904–1973), American politician and member of the House of Representatives

Charmaine Howell (born 1975), Jamaican athlete

Christopher Howell (born 1945), American poet

Christopher Howell (cricketer) (born 1977), English cricketer

Clarence Howell (1881–1936), American chess master

Clark Howell (1863–1936), American newspaperman and politician

Clement Howell (1935–1987), Turks and Caicos politician

Colin Howell (born 1959), Northern Irish murderer

D

Daedalus Howell (born 1972), American writer

Daniel Howell (born 1991), British vlogger and BBC Radio 1 presenter

Daniel Howell (Wisconsin politician) (1807–1890), Wisconsin state senator

David Howell, Baron Howell of Guildford (born 1936), British Conservative politician

David Howell (British Army officer), British barrister and officer

David Howell (chaplain) (1929–2017), Anglican priest and writer

David Howell (chess player) (born 1990), British chess grandmaster

David Howell (footballer) (born 1958), English footballer

David Howell (golfer) (born 1975), English golfer

David Howell (jurist) (1747–1824), American jurist

David Howell (priest) (1831–1903), British clergyman

David Howell (rugby league) (born 1983), Australian rugby league player

Dean Howell (born 1980), English footballer

Deborah Howell (1941–2010), American journalist

Delles Howell (born 1948), American football player

Denis Howell, Baron Howell (1923–1998), British Labour politician

E

Edward Howell (disambiguation), several people

Edwin C. Howell (1860–1907), American whist and chess player

Edwin E. Howell (1845–1911), American geologist and cartographer

Elias Howell (1792–1844), American politician

Ella Mai Howell (born 1994), English singer-songwriter

Evan Howell (1839–1905), American politician, early telegraph operator and officer in the Confederate Army

F

Francis Howell (disambiguation), several people

Francis Clark Howell (1925–2007), American anthropologist

G

Gareth Howell (born 1981), Welsh racing driver

Gary Howell (Michigan politician), member of the Michigan House of Representatives

Gary Howell (West Virginia politician) (born 1966), member of the West Virginia House of Delegates

Gene Howell, American bodybuilder

George Howell (entrepreneur) (born 1945), American entrepreneur

George Howell (Pennsylvania politician) (1859–1913), American Republican politician

George Howell (soldier) (1893–1964), Australian soldier

George Howell (trade unionist) (1833–1911), British politician and trade unionist

George Evan Howell (1905–1980), American Republican politician

George Howell Kidder (1925–2009), American lawyer

Gerran Howell (born 1991), Welsh actor

Gillian Howell (1927–2000), British architect

Graham Howell (born 1951), English footballer

Gwynne Howell (born 1938), Welsh opera singer

H

Hannah Howell (born 1950), American romance novelist

Harry Howell (baseball) (1876–1956), American baseball player

Harry Howell (cricketer) (1890–1932), English cricketer and footballer

Harry Howell (ice hockey) (1932–2019), Canadian ice hockey player

Henry Howell (1920–1997), American Democratic politician

Henry Howell (Mormon) (1828–1896), British-American settler

Horatio Stockton Howell (1820–1963), American chaplain

I

Ian Howell (born 1958), South African cricketer and umpire

J

Jack Howell (baseball) (born 1961), American baseball player

Jack Howell (footballer) (1924–1994), Australian rules football player

Jack Howell (swimmer) (1899–1967), American swimmer

Jack P. Howell (1895–1971), Australian rules football player

James Howell (disambiguation), several people

Jamie Howell (born 1977), English footballer

Janet Howell (1944–2026), American Democratic politician

Jay Howell (born 1955), American baseball player

Jay Howell (illustrator) (born 1979), American illustrator, animator, cartoonist, and artist

Jennifer Howell, Canadian-American voice actor

Jenny Howell (died 1984), American murder victim

Jeremiah B. Howell (1771–1822), U.S. Senator from Rhode Island

Jim Lee Howell (1914–1995), American football player

Joe Howell, American songwriter

John Howell (defensive back) (born 1978), American football player

John Howell (halfback) (1915–1946), American football player

John Howell (politician) (born 1955), British Conservative politician

K

Kathleen Howell, American engineer

Ken Howell (1960–2018), American baseball player

Krista Howell, Canadian politician

Kirby Howell-Baptiste, British Born American Actress

L

Lane Howell (born 1941), American football player

Larry Howell, American mechanical engineer

Laura Howell, British comic book artist

Lenzie Howell (1967–2020), American basketball player

Leonard Howell (1898–1981), Jamaican religious figure, founder of the Rastafari movement

Leonard Howell (footballer) (1848–1895), English footballer

Lis Howell (born 1951), British journalist

Llorne Howell (born 1972), New Zealand cricketer

Lottice Howell (1897–1982), American singer and actress

Luke Howell (born 1994), Australian film actor

M

Magnolia Howell (born 1983), sprinter for Trinidad and Tobago

Malcolm Clifford Howell (1895–1976), American pursuit pilot

Margaret Howell (born 1946), British fashion designer

Margaret Kempe Howell (1806–1867), American heiress, slave owner, and planter

Mark Howell (born 1952), American musician

Markus Howell (born 1975), Canadian football player

Mary Howell (1932–1998), American physician and psychologist

Matilda Howell (1859–1938), American archer

Max Howell (footballer) (1921–2012), Australian rules footballer

Max Howell (educator) (1927–2014), Australian educator and rugby union player

Miguelina Howell, Dominican Republic-born bishop

Mike Howell (1943–2016), American football player

Miles Kristian Howell, British musician

Mont Howell (1866–1944), American businessman

Morton B. Howell (1834–1909), American politician

Myfanwy Howell (1903–1988), Welsh broadcaster

N

Nathaniel W. Howell (1770–1851), American Federalist politician

Neville Howell, Australian rower

Nick Howell (football coach) (born 1986), American football player

Nick Howell (real tennis) (born 1986), Australian real tennis player

P

Pat Howell (born 1957), American football player

Pat Howell (baseball) (born 1968), American baseball player

Paul Howell (disambiguation)

Peg Leg Howell (1888–1966), American blues singer and guitarist

Peter Howell (actor) (1919–2015), British actor

Peter Howell (historian) (born 1941), British historian

Peter Howell (musician) (born c. 1948), British musician and composer

R

Rab Howell (1869–1937), British footballer

Ralph Howell (1923–2008), British Conservative politician

Red Howell (1909–1950), American baseball player

Rhoda Pitchlynn Howell (1814–1911), Choctaw rancher and community leader

Richard Howell (1754–1802), American politician; governor of New Jersey from 1794 to 1802

Richard Howell (basketball) (born 1990), American-Israeli basketball player

Richard Howell (comics), American comic book creator

Richard Howell (cricketer) (born 1982), English cricketer

Richard Howell (swimmer) (1903–1967), American swimmer

Rob Howell, British costume and set designer

Robert B. Howell (1864–1933), American Republican politician

Rod Howell (born 1975), American dancer

Roger Howell Jr. (1936–1989), American professor

Roland Howell (1892–1973), American baseball player

Ron Howell (Australian footballer) (1919–2015), Australian rules footballer

Ron Howell (Canadian sportsman) (1935–1992), Canadian football and ice hockey player

S

Sam Howell (born 2000), American football player

Scott Howell (disambiguation), multiple people

Summer Howell (born 2004), Canadian actress

T

Taylor Morgan Howell, British musician

Thomas Howell (bishop) (1588–1650), British clergyman

Thomas Howell (poet) (fl. 1568), English poet

Thomas Bayly Howell (1767–1815), English lawyer and writer who lent his name to Howell's State Trials

Thomas J. Howell (botanist) (1842–1912), American botanist

Tommy Howell, British rugby league footballer who played in the 1890s and 1900s

V

Valma Howell (1896–1979), Australian artist

Varina Howell (1826–1906), First Lady of the Confederate States of America; wife of CSA President Jefferson Davis

Verdun Howell (born 1937), Australian rules footballer

David Koresh (born Vernon Howell) (1959–1993), American leader of Branch Davidians religious sect

W

Walter Howell (born 1929), Australian rower

Wayne Howell (1921–1993), American voice-over announcer

William Howell (rugby player) (1863–unknown), Welsh rugby union player

William Henry Howell (1860–1945), American physiologist

William J. Howell (born 1943), American Republican politician

William R. Howell, American businessman

William Thompson Howell (1810–1870), American jurist and politician

W. Nathaniel Howell (1939–2020), U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait, 1987–1991

Y

Yvonne Howell (1905–2010), American actress

Given name

Howell Appling Jr. (1919–2002), American businessman and Republican politician

Howell Binkley, American lighting designer

Howell Cheney (1870–1957), American businessman

Howell Cobb (1815–1868), American political figure

Howell Cobb (born 1772) (1772–1818), American politician

Howell Cobb (judge) (1922–2005), American judge

Howell Davies (politician) (1851–1932), British Liberal politician

Howell Davies (rugby, born 1885), Welsh rugby player

Howell Davis (c. 1690–1719), British pirate

Howell de Francis, Welsh rugby league player

Howell M. Estes II (1914–2007), American general

Howell M. Estes III (born 1941), American general

Howell M. Forgy, USN chaplain

Howell Glynne (1906–1969), British opera singer

Howell Arthur Gwynne (1865–1950), British newspaper editor

Howell Hansel (1860–1917), American film director

Howell Harris (academic), British history professor

Howell Heflin (1921–2005), American Democratic politician

Fictional characters

Brutus "Brutal" Howell, prison guard played by David Morse in The Green Mile

Claire Howell, prison guard played by Kristin Rohde on TV's Oz

Thurston Howell III, millionaire played by Jim Backus on TV's Gilligan's Island

Lovey Howell, wife of Thurston, played by Natalie Schafer on Gilligan's Island

Elliot Howell III, fictional Hindenburg passenger credited to Colby Chester in the eponymous film

Howell Jenkins, real (given by his parents) name of Wizard Howl in the fantasy trilogy Howl's Moving Castle

Carl Howell, in the TV series Glee, played by John Stamos