Howells: Last Name Origin and Family Crest

The same name, two spellings: Howells and Howell. Its meaning, shared with Howell, is “Descendant of Howell (eminent); descendant of little How, a variant of Hugh (spirit). -”. The extra ending in Howells is patronymic: it identified a person as belonging to Howell's family. Local scribes, dialects and emigration all left their mark on how the name was written. Other spellings include Howel and Hywel.

According to the 2010 US Census, the Howells surname had 2,961 bearers.

There is no single Howells family crest for every bearer. Herald Lab researches the arms historically associated with the name and explains whose they were. Get the complete Howells report, with a museum-style coat of arms.