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Howel History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Australia West Indies

Howel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales
Ireland

The ancestors of the name Howel are thought to have lived among the ancient Britons, who inhabited in the hills and Moors of present day Wales. This particular surname was derived from the Welsh personal name Hoel, which was originally derived from the Old Welsh name Houel. This name was imported by Welsh settlers into the English counties bordering Wales; however, in the eastern English counties, the name was brought by Breton settlers. The Breton forms of the name were Houuel, Huwel, Huwal, and Howael.

Early Origins of the Howel family

The surname Howel was first found in Monmouthshire (Welsh: Sir Fynwy), where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

King Hoel, also known as Sir Howel, Saint Hywel and Hywel the Great, was a late 5th and early 6th-century member of the ruling dynasty of Cornouaille.

Vychan Howel that is, Howel the Little (d. 825), was a Welsh prince, said to have been son of Rhodri, a reputed descendant of Cunedda and King of Gwynedd, or North Wales. "But Rhodri died in 754, and nothing is heard of Howel or of his brother Cynan whom the tenth-century genealogy of Owain ab Howel Dda makes son of Rhodri, until over fifty years later. Possibly they were Rhodri's grandsons, who emerge from obscurity when the downfall of the Mercian overlordship gave Welsh kings a better chance to attain to power. In 813 there was war between Howel and his brother Cynan, in which Howel conquered. It apparently arose from Cynan driving Howel out of Anglesey, and resulted in Howel's restoration in 814. In 816 Howel was again expelled, but the Saxons invaded Snowdon and slew Cynan. This probably brought Howel back again. He died in 825. The name Vychan comes from a late authority." 1

Dda Howel, that is, Howel the Good (d. 950), the most famous of the early Welsh kings, was the son of Cadell, the son of Rhodri Mawr, through whom his pedigree was traced by a tenth-century writer up to Cunedda and thence to 'Anne, cousin of the Blessed Virgin.' 1

Howel ab Ieuav, or Howel Ddrwg, that is, Howel The Bad (d. 984), the North Welsh prince, was the son of Ieuav, son of Idwal, who was imprisoned and deprived of his territory by his brother Iago about 969. 1

Howel ab Edwin (d. 1044), the South Welsh prince, was son of Edwin, son of Eineon, who was the son of Owain, the eldest son and successor of Howel Dda [q. v.] 1

Early History of the Howel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Howel research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1170, 1300, 1313, 1356, 1381, 1588, 1593, 1625, 1644, 1645, 1650, 1657, 1660, 1666 and 1679 are included under the topic Early Howel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Howel 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 Howel have included Howell, Howel, Hawell, Howels, Howells, Hovell and many more.

Early Notables of the Howel family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

Rt. Rev. Thomas Howell (1588-1650), Welsh Bishop of Bristol from 1644 to 1645, born in Llangamarch, Brecknockshire
Francis Howell (1625-1679), Principal of Jesus College, Oxford from 1657 to 1660

Migration of the Howel family to Ireland

Some of the Howel family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Howel migration to the United States +

The Welsh began to emigrate to North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s in search of land, work, and freedom. Those that arrived helped shape the industry, commerce, and the cultural heritage of both Canada and the United States. The records regarding immigration and passenger show a number of people bearing the name Howel:

Howel Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Owen Howel, who settled in Virginia in 1635
Morgan Howel, who settled in Virginia in 1653
Thomas Howel, who settled in New England in 1654
William Howel, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1682 2
Humphrey Howel, who settled in Virginia in 1698
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Howel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Howel, who arrived in America in 1782 2

Howel migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Howel Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mougley Howel, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Phoebe" in 1846 3

Howel 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

Howel Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

David Howel, who settled in Barbados in 1654
William Howel, who settled in Barbados in 1654

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) PHEOBE/PHOEBE 1845. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1846Phoebe.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies