Eminent or conspicuous
Derived from the Old Welsh name Hywel, meaning 'eminent' or 'conspicuous.' It was famously borne by Hywel Dda (Howell the Good), a 10th-century king who codified Welsh law. In modern times, it is more commonly seen as a surname but retains a distinguished, scholarly feel as a first name.
Less common today
Howell isn't in the latest US Top 1000. It last peaked at #4,171 in 1990.
US births per 5-year period, 1990–present (SSA data).
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and former Executive Editor of The New York Times
United States Senator from Alabama and judge
Speaker of the House and Governor of Georgia
The birth name of the wizard Howl · Howl's Moving Castle
