&sq=&lang=&file=File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Edward_Howell.svg) An example of a Howell family Coat of Arms: Gules, three towers, tripled towered, argent. (the Coat of Arms for Edward Howell, Lord of Westbury) | |
| Pronunciation | English: /ˈhaʊəl/ HOW-əl Welsh: [ˈhəu.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/ HOW-əl, Welsh: [ˈhəu.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.
- ^ "Howell Surname Meaning and Distribution". forebears.co.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2014