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Powel History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Canada West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Powel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales
Ireland

The Welsh surname Powel comes from the personal name Hoel or Howell, which were both derived from the Old Welsh name Houel. The surname Powel features the distinctive Welsh patronymic prefix "ap-". The original form of the name was ap-Hoel or ap-Howell, but the prefixes have been assimilated into the surname over the course of time.

Early Origins of the Powel family

The surname Powel was first found in Breconshire (Welsh: Sir Frycheiniog), a traditional county in southern Wales, which takes its name from the Welsh kingdom of Brycheiniog (5th-10th centuries), where the name "are descended from Philip ap Howell, whose pedigree is traced to Edwin ap Grono, Lord of Tegaingl, founder of the XIII noble tribe of North Wales and Powys." 1 However other records claim the name came from the Welsh King Hywel Dda"the Good" ap Cadell (c.880- c.950), son of Cadell ap Rhodri, in turn a son of Rhodri the Great.

Early History of the Powel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Powel research. Another 201 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1600, 1608, 1624, 1628, 1630, 1632, 1637, 1641, 1653, 1660, 1673, 1678, 1680, 1688, 1689, 1692, 1696, 1721, 1750, 1795, 1798, 1803 and 1834 are included under the topic Early Powel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Powel Spelling Variations

Although there are comparatively few Welsh surnames, they have a great many spelling variations. Variations of Welsh names began almost immediately after their acceptance within Welsh society. In the Middle Ages, it was up to priests and the few other people that recorded names in official documents to decide how to spell the names that they heard. Variations that occurred because of improper recording increased dramatically as the names were later transliterated into English. The Brythonic Celtic language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, featured many highly inflected sounds that could not be properly captured by the English language. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations were all indicated by the particular variation of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Powel have included Powell, Powel and others.

Early Notables of the Powel family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

Thomas Powell (c.1608-1660), a Welsh cleric and writer from Cantref, Breconshire
Sir William Powell, 1st Baronet (c. 1624-1680), born William Hinson, an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1660
William Powell (d. 1637), was an esquire of Castle Madoc
Sir John Powell (c. 1632-1696), a Welsh judge of the Court of Common Pleas and of the Court of King's Bench
he presided over the trial of the Seven Bishops in 1688. From the Powells of Brandlesome Hall, Lancashire was Henry-Folliot Powell (1803-1834). They are said to descend from a Walter Powell, seated du...

Migration of the Powel family to Ireland

Some of the Powel family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Powel migration to the United States +

Many Welsh joined the great migrations to North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Like their Scottish and Irish neighbors, many Welsh families left their homeland hoping to find hope and prosperity in a land that the English did not exercise a tight rule over. Those Welsh immigrants that successfully traveled to North America went on to make significant contributions to the rapid development of both Canada and the United States in terms of the settling of land and the establishment of industry. They also added to the rich cultural heritage of both countries. An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Powel:

Powel Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Rob Powel, who landed in Virginia in 1653 2
Tho Powel, who landed in Virginia in 1653 2
William Powel, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1682 2
Evan Powel, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1698 2

Powel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Joseph Powel, who landed in New York, NY in 1742 2
Sam Powel, who arrived in New York, NY in 1742 2

Powel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Isaac Powel, who arrived in New York in 1824 2
Edward Powel, aged 30, who arrived in New York in 1854 2

Powel migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Powel Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Stephen Powel U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 3

Powel migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 4

Powel Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Caleb and Elizabeth Powel and their child, who were on record in Barbados in 1678

Contemporary Notables of the name Powel (post 1700) +

Samuel Powel (1738-1793), American politician, Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1775-76, 1789-90 5
Powel Crosley Jr. (1886-1961), American inventor, industrialist, and entrepreneur co-founder of Crosley automobiles and Crosley Broadcasting Corporation

The Powel Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Edrych i fynw
Motto Translation: Looking Up.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html