# Powell (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/powell/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “son of hywel” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈpaʊ.(w)əl/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Powel |
| US babies named this | 1,491 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 1,485 / 6 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | not in the ONS data |

## Etymology

The anglicized form of Welsh ap Hywel (“son of Hywel”). Related to Howell and Huell. Sometimes also associated with Paul by folk etymology.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 6 | 15,791 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 6 | 11,904 |
| 2012 | 6 | 11,903 |
| 2013 | 10 | 7,954 |
| 2014 | 10 | 7,982 |
| 2015 | 7 | 10,350 |
| 2016 | 11 | 7,486 |
| 2017 | 14 | 6,260 |
| 2018 | 8 | 9,448 |
| 2019 | 5 | 13,639 |
| 2020 | 7 | 10,328 |
| 2021 | 10 | 8,012 |
| 2022 | 12 | 7,139 |
| 2023 | 11 | 7,626 |
| 2024 | 10 | 8,174 |
| 2025 | 9 | 8,751 |

## In other languages

- Chinese: 鮑威爾 /鲍威尔
- Russian: Па́уэлл

## People named Powell

- Ambrose Powell Hill, Confederate Army general (1825-1865)
- Baden Powell, Brazilian musician (1937-2000)
- Powell Clayton, American politician (1833-1914)
- Philip Powell Calvert, American entomologist (1871 – 1961)
- Tobin Heath, American soccer player
- Surf Mesa, American record producer and multi-instrumentalist
- Bill Lear, American businessman and inventor

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.