Howells
also Howell, ap Hywel
Son of Hywel the Good — the surname of the great Welsh law-king.
CoreHistoric reach
The seat of Howells
Seat vacantChief
No chief yet. The seat awaits its first claimant — be the first to stake your name to Howells.
Current mission
No mission proclaimed. The chief, once seated, sets the clan’s public focus — a campaign, a contest, a piece of restoration, a year of remembrance.
The pledge surface for chiefdoms and missions is being built. Until it ships, register your name through the submit form.
Stake your name →What does the Howells name mean?
From ap Hywel — son of Hywel, the personal name of Hywel Dda ('Hywel the Good', c.880–950), king of Deheubarth and the Welsh prince traditionally credited with the codification of the Laws of Hywel Dda, the foundational law-code of mediaeval Wales. Hywel was carried as a personal name through every subsequent generation of the Welsh princely houses; the patronymic ap Hywel compressed into Howell and Howells under Tudor naming policy. The Welsh-form Hywel survived alongside the Anglicised Howell, especially in Cardiganshire and Pembrokeshire.
The history of Howells
Hywel Dda — Hywel ap Cadell, c.880–950 — was king of Seisyllwg from c.910 and king of all Deheubarth from 920, and arguably the most consequential native ruler of mediaeval Wales. The Welsh law tradition associated with his name (Cyfraith Hywel) — preserved in three regional redactions through the high Middle Ages — was the most sophisticated indigenous law-code of pre-Norman Britain, and remained in force in much of native Wales until the Statute of Rhuddlan (1284) and the Acts of Union (1536). The personal name Hywel was carried in the South Welsh princely line through every generation of the Deheubarth dynasty.
Herbert Howells (1892–1983), the Lydney-born composer of Hymnus Paradisi, the Stabat Mater and the great cycle of Anglican choral evening services, was the foremost British church composer of the mid-20th century. James Howells (1814–1892), the Cardiff draper, founded the Howells department store on Cardiff's St Mary Street in 1865 — closed in 2017 after 152 years on the same site. Ursula Howells (1922–2005), the actress, was a daughter of the composer Herbert Howells.
Notable bearers of the Howells name
- Herbert Howells (1892–1983) — composer (Hymnus Paradisi)
- James Howells (1814–1892) — Cardiff draper, founder of Howells department store
- Ursula Howells (1922–2005) — actress
Frequently asked
What does the surname Howells mean?
Where does the Howells family come from?
Who are some famous Howellses?
Is Howell the same family as Howells?
Neighbouring clans
- JonesSon of John — and roughly one in twenty Welsh-descended people in the world.
- DaviesSon of David — born of the patron saint's name and densest in his own corner of Wales.
- EvansSon of John, by the Welsh road — the cousin name of Jones.
- ThomasThe fifth Welsh surname — son of Thomas, on the same Tudor-era road as Jones and Williams.