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| Origins Available: |
| | England |
The surname Hollowell was first found in Northamptonshire at Hollowell, a village and civil parish in the Daventry district of the county which dates back to at least the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Holewelle. 1 At that time, it was held by the Bishop of Lincoln. The place name literally means "spring or stream in a hollow," having derived from the Old English words hol + wella. 2
The first record of the family was actually in Suffolk where Osbert de Haliwell was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of 1200. Later, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1275 listed Rober Halwewoll in Dorset and Martin de Halgewelle in Devon. Editha atte Holywell was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset in 1327. 3
Another source notes more records in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273: Adam de Holewell, Norfolk; Simon de Holewell, Bedfordshire; John de Holowell, Buckinghamshire; Godfrey de Haliwell, London; and Richard de Holewell, Huntingdonshire. 4
Again in Somerset, we found: John de Holewell; and Edith atte Holywelle, Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 5 This last entry is presumably the same person as the aforementioned Editha atte Holywell but with slightly different spelling.
The Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I 6 includes and entry for "William de Halegewelle, Devon, Henry III-Edward I," and the noted author notes: "Probably this last entry represents the Anglo-Saxon halig, holy, pure; later on found as halt or holi. Pure and healthy springs would, no doubt, all over the country take a name after the character of the water, being whole or whole-some, not necessarily sacred or holy, as the word is now understood." 4
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hollowell research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1200 is included under the topic Early Hollowell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Hollowell include Halliwell, Halligwell, Haliwell, Hollowell and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Hollowell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In the United States, the name Hollowell is the 6,176th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 7
Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Hollowell or a variant listed above:
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: