Origins of the Powell surname

What does the name Powell mean?

Powell is a surname found often in England, but with very deep Welsh roots (it is still found often across Wales and the English border regions). Powell comes from the patronymic tradition of Wales, and refers to someone who is the son or descendant of Hywell or Howell. The Welsh prefix 'ap' was used to mean son of, and 'ap Hywell' quickly became 'Powell'.

Alternative variations of the name Powell

Powell, Powel, Pawell, Howell, Howel

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Delve deeper into the Powell family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 733North West 1422Isle of Man 35Yorkshire 2523East Midlands 547West Midlands 3069East 1463London 5950South East 3013South West 6033South Wales 4320Mid Wales 1310West Wales 467North Wales 526Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Powells lived in south-west

Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

57,000 Powell Travel & migration records
390,000 Powells found in all Census records

Interesting facts about Powell

How common is your surname?

82nd most common surname in the UK

We have for the Powell surname. The oldest one dates back to 1539.

Who were Powells most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Powells.

What are the most common Powell first names?

William

John

Mary

Elizabeth

Our tell us the names of Powell family members
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Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Powells

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Common female occupations for Powells in 1921

Dressmaker

1,663

Laundress

1,155

General Servant Domestic

1,003

Domestic Servant

992

General Servant

804

Common male occupations for Powells in 1921

Coal Miner

2,387

Farmer

1,747

Agricultural Labourer

1,618

General Labourer

1,391

Coal Miner Hewer

1,139

We found over 360,000 family trees with the Powell surname

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