FastNamesPowell Surname
Welsh and Celtic surname meaning "Patronymic surname contracted from the Welsh ap Hywel or ap Howell, meaning 'son of Howell' (from Welsh Hywel, 'eminent', 'conspicuous', or 'prominent').". Ranked 101st in the United States with 224,874 recorded bearers in the 2010 Census (76.2 per 100,000 Americans).
Meaning and origin of the surname Powell
Patronymic surname contracted from the Welsh ap Hywel or ap Howell, meaning 'son of Howell' (from Welsh Hywel, 'eminent', 'conspicuous', or 'prominent').
Historically and linguistically, Powell belongs to the Welsh and Celtic family of surnames. It is conventionally pronounced "POW-uhl".
United States Census frequency and ranking
In the official 2010 United States Census, Powell was recorded 224,874 times, ranking as the 101st most common surname in the nation.
This represents an incidence rate of approximately 76.23 bearers per 100,000 Americans, or roughly 1 out of every 1,312 residents.
Race and ethnicity distribution
According to official decennial Census genealogy microdata, individuals bearing the surname Powellreported the following racial and ethnic affiliations in the 2010 US Census:
| Racial or ethnic group | Share of bearers |
|---|---|
| White | 67.20% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2.31% |
| Black or African American | 27.12% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.46% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.62% |
| Two or more races | 2.29% |
Source: US Census Bureau, 2010 Census Surnames Data. Percentages may not sum to exactly 100% due to independent rounding or suppression of small cell counts for privacy protection.
History of the surname Powell
Powell is an eminent Welsh patronymic surname contracted from the traditional Welsh patronymic formula ap Hywel or ab Howell, signifying 'son of Howell'. The indigenous Welsh personal name Hywel conveys the distinguished qualities of 'eminent', 'conspicuous', 'well-seen', or 'far-renowned'. Through regular phonological contraction in bilingual Anglo-Welsh border regions, the patronymic preposition ap fused permanently with the initial consonant of the father's name, crystallizing into Powell.
The root personal name was immortalized in Welsh national history by Hywel Dda ('Howell the Good', died c. 950 CE), king of Deheubarth who codified the ancient Laws of Hywel Dda, creating Wales's foundational legal and judicial system. Following the 1536 Acts of Union under Henry VIII, Welsh gentry began adopting hereditary English-style surnames, with early legal documents recording Ap Howell and Powell families throughout Breconshire, Radnorshire, Glamorgan, and the border counties of Herefordshire and Shropshire.
Powell colonists established settlements across Virginia and Maryland during the seventeenth century, later migrating westward into the Ohio Valley and American South. The surname holds distinguished standing in modern American governance through four-star General and 65th U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell (1937–2021) and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. In the 2010 United States Census, Powell ranked 101st nationwide with 224,874 recorded individuals, exhibiting wide demographic presence across the Southeast, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic states.
Notable people with the surname Powell
- Colin Powell (1937–2021), American four-star general, 65th U.S. Secretary of State, and Chairman of Joint Chiefs
- Jerome Powell (1953–), American attorney and investment banker serving as 16th Chair of the Federal Reserve
- John Wesley Powell (1834–1902), American geologist, explorer of the Colorado River, and director of U.S. Geological Survey
- Asafa Powell (1982–), Jamaican Olympic gold medalist sprinter who held the 100m world record
Variants and related surnames
Spelling variants
Related surnames
Sources and references
- Patrick Hanks, Richard Coates, Peter McClure. The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland (2016), p. 2162.
- John & Sheila Rowlands. The Surnames of Wales (1996), p. 164.
- U.S. Census Bureau. 2010 Census Surnames Data (2016). Reference link.